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THE AMERICAN FALL. 



THE RED BOOK 



OF 



NIAGARA 



A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE 



TO THE 



Scientific, Historical and Scenic 
Aspects of Niagara 



FOR THE USE OF TRAVELLERS 



BY IRVING P. BISHOP, S. M., F. G. S. A. 



With Many Illustrations, Index and Maps 



BUFFALO, N. Y. 

THE WENBORNE-SUMNER CO. 

I 90 1 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

AUG. 19 1901 

^Copyright entry 

Class glxxq.n». 

COPY B. 



coptright 1901 by 
The Wenborne-Sumneb Co. 



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Press of 

The Wenborne-Sumner Co. 

Buffalo, N. y. 



Preface, 



For more than two hundred years the Niagara region has 
been the most celebrated part of America. In the earlier 
period of our history it was the doorway to the upper lake 
region and the Mississippi Valley, for the possession of 
which French and English and English and Colonists 
struggled in turn. From a scientific point of view it has 
presented problems which have interested almost every geol- 
ogist of distinction, both in America and Europe. As a 
scenic wonder the Cataract has probably attracted more 
visitors than any other single natural object in the world. 
It is the purpose of this handbook to enable the visitor, 
whether his tastes be for the scenic, the scientific or the 
historical, to see Niagara from his own point of view, with 
the minimum outlay of time and money. The book is based 
upon the author's personal acquaintance with this region, 
which for thirteen years has been his field for study and 
recreation. It is issued solely in the interest of travellers 
whose needs have been, as far as possible, anticipated 
and provided for. Advertisements of all kind are strictly 
excluded from its pages. It is believed that the book will 
enable the tourist to see Niagara much more fully and intel- 
ligently than would otherwise be possible, in which case it 
will have fulfilled its mission. 



Contents. 



The City of Niagara Falls. 

PAGE. 

Area, Population, Arrival, Hotels, American and Canadian 
sides. Carriages, Electric Railways, Tourists' Directory, 
Customs, Parks 1-17 

HoNV to See Niagara. 

Outlines for trips for the tourist, with limited time, itinera- 
ries in detail, including Prospect Park, American Fall, 
Goat Island, Cave of the Winds, Maid of the Mist, Port 
Day, Horseshoe Fall, A Cold Water Geyser, Dufferin 
Islands, Burning Spring, Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, Lor- 
etto Convent, The Bridges, Whirlpool, Rapids, St. David's 
Gorge, Niagara Glen, Queensfcon, Lewiston Gorge Route, 
Devil's Hole, Fort Niagara, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Buffalo 
to Niagara Falls 18-83 

History. 

Early History, Devil's Hole Massacre, War of 1813, Queenston 
Heights, Fort Erie and Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, Siege of 
Fort Erie, The Morgan Incident, Jewish Colonization 
Scheme, Burning of the Caroline, Rope Walkers and 
Bridge Jumpers 85-94 

Geology. 

Stratigraphy, How the Gorge was made. Retrogression, 
Thickness of Strata, Evidence of Former Higher River 
Level, Geological History, St. David's Channel, Age of 
the Gorge, Future of the Falls, Earth Movement in the 
Lake Region 95-106 

Niagara Falls Power. 

Electric and Hydraulic Power Companies, Their Origin and 
Growth, Present Companies, Electro-Chemical Processes, 

Transmission of Power 107-114 

References 115 

Fishing and Hunting.... 116-117 



Illustrations. 



Page. 

Frontispiece, 

Hennepin's View, 19 

Prospect Park in Winter, 21 

American Rapids from Goat Island Bridge, 25 

American Fall from Goat Island, 27 

Luna Fall from below, 29 

Terrapin Rock from Goat Island, 31 

Canadian Rapids from Third Sister Island, 33 

Path near Horseshoe Fall, Winter, 33 

Upper Steel Arch Bridge, 35 

American Fall from Canadian side, 36 

General View from Upper Arch Bridge, 37 

Ice Bridge, 38 

Ice Mounds, American Fall, 38 

Horseshoe Fall from above, ^ 39 

The Horseshoe from Table Rock, 39 

Air Explosions, Horseshoe Fall, 41 

Effects of Air Explosions, Horseshoe Fall, 42 

Canadian Fall from Table Rock, 43 

Looking out of ChiiDpewa Creek, old Battlefield, 46 

Cantilever and Lower Steel Arch Bridges, 48 

Geological Section of the Gorge opposite the Rapids, American 

side, 51 

The Whirlpool Rapids, 52 

The Whirlpool, 54 

Under the Old Cataract, Wintergreen Flats, 56 

Edge of the Old Cataract, Wintergreen Flats, 56 

Geological Section of the Gorge from Foster's Flats, 58 

Brock's Monument, 59 

Queenston from Brock's Monument, 61 

Remains of Old Earthwork, near Brock's Monument, .... 62 

Looking up the Gorge from Lewiston, 63 



Page. 

Giant Rock, 64 

The Whirlpool Rapids, 66 

Devil's Pulpit, = 68 

Crinoid Head, natural size, 70 

Arthrophycus Harlani, 70 

A Bit of Ancient Iroquois Beach, Lewiston, ........ 72 

Electric Furnace, 79 

Power and Transformer Houses, Niagara Falls Power Co., . . 80 

Transformers, Niagara Falls Power Co., 81 

Interior of Power House, Niagara Falls Power Co., 83 

Cut showing Strata in order of deposition, 97 

Penstock, Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power Co., Ill 

Bank and Power House, Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power Co., . Ill 
Power House, Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power Co., 113 



The City of Niagara Falls, N. Y. 



THIS City was formed by the consolidation of the villages 
of Niagara Falls and Suspension Bridge. It embraces 
an area of eight and one-half square miles, and has a 
population, according to the last census, of 19,467. Formerly 
its reputation depended solely upon its propinquity to one of 
the greatest scenic wonders of the world ; but since 1890 the 
utilization of the great water power of Niagara for the gen- 
eration of electricity has made of the city an important 
industrial center, unique in its commercial application of elec- 
tricity to varied chemical processes. Niagara Falls, Ontario, 
on the opposite side of the river (Pop. 7,500?) consists of 
Niagara Falls North, or Clifton, at the Cantilever and Lower 
Arch Bridges ; Niagara Falls Central, at the Upper Arch 
Bridge, and Niagara Falls South, or Drummondsville, on 
the Lundy's Lane battle-field. The town is reached from 
Niagara Falls, N. Y., by the Upper and Lower Arch Bridges. 



Arrival. 

Passengers arriving at Niagara Falls, N. Y., over the 
Wabash or Erie lines, alight at the Erie Station, Second street, 
about two minutes' walk from Falls Street. Those who arrive 
by other lines alight at the Central Depot, corner Second and 
Falls streets, in the same quarter. Walk from either Station 
to Prospect Park in five to seven minutes. The Miller and 
Brundage carriages have the exclusive privilege of a stand 
within the Central yards, but others may be found in the 
street outside. Maximum rate of fare, including one trunk 



-i> 



10 
and one bag or small parcel for one mile or less, one person, 
fifty cents ; each additional person, twenty-five cents. Bar- 
gain with driver recommended. Travellers arriving by elec- 
tric railway from Buffalo, are set down at Prospect Park, 
near the American Falls. 

On the Canadian side, Grand Trunk passengers alight at 
Niagara Falls North and take carriage or trolley to other 
points. Trains by the Michigan Central and Canadian South- 
ern Railroads stop, if flagged, at Niagara Falls Central, Ont., 
five minutes' walk from Upper Arch Bridge, or at Clifton, 
Niagara Falls North. Boats from Buffalo by the Interna- 
tional Navigation Company's line, land passengers at Slater's 
point, where they connect with the Niagara Falls Park & 
River Electric Railway for the Falls, Queenston and inter- 
mediate points. The steamers of the Niagara Navigation 
Company land passengers at Queenston or Lewiston, whence 
the Falls are reached by trolley, or from Lewiston if desired, 
by New York Central Railroad. 

Hotels—American Side, 

Prospect House, Second street, one block south of Central 
Depot. Accommodates 125 guests, $3.50 to $5.50 per day. 
Single meals $1.00. pataract House (Open from May 1st. 
to Oct.), corner of Main and Buffalo streets, near the rapids. 
Accommodates 500 guests. Same rates, and under the same 
management as the Prospect. International, corner Main and 
Falls street, adjoining Cataract House, $3.50 to $5.00. Kalten- 
bach House, A. Kaltenbach, proprietor, 14 Buffalo street, front- 
ing park and American rapids. Accommodates fifty guests, 
$3.00 per day. Meals and lodging each 75 cents. Famous 
for its table d'hote dinner, 2 p. m. Hotel Imperial, corner 
Falls and Second streets, opposite Central Depot, $2.50 to 
$4.00 ; single meals 75 cents ; rooms $1.00 to $2.00. Tem- 
perance House, 329 Second street, about midway between the 
Erie and Central Depots, $1.50 to $2.00 per day; single 
meals 40 to 50 cents, bed 50 cents. No intoxicants sold. 



11 
An excellent hotel of its kind. Tower Hotely 309-313 River- 
way, $2.00, $2.50 and $3.00. Well spoken of. Columbia, 
102 Niagara street, near Erie Depot. Accommodates 150 
guests $1.50 to $2.50 per day; single meals or lodging 50 
cents. Well spoken of. (Closed in winter). Atlantique, 
accommodates seventy-five guests* $2.00 to $2.50. Single 
meal or bed 75 cents. ] 

Hote s and Restaurants — Canadian Side. 

Niagara Falls North. The Savoy, $2.00 per day, thirty 
rooms, good. The Windsor y $2.00; well spoken of. The 
American House, $1.50; well spoken of . Railroad Restaurant 
(G. T.), good. Niagara Falls Central. Hotel Lafayette, at 
end of Upper Arch Bridge. Commended by patrons, $2.00. 
The Dufferin Restaurant, in Victoria Park. Dinner 50 cents : 
Convenient for visitors to the park or the Horseshoe ; good. 

Drummondsville, (N. F. South). Prospect House, $1.00 
to $2.00; unpretentious, clean, and good for the price. 
Kick's Hotel, $1.00 to $2.00. 

Carriages. 

The city ordinances permit the following maximum charges 
which include ordinary baggage, defined as one trunk and one 
bag or other small parcel : Distance not exceediug one mile, 
one person, fifty cents; each additional person twenty-five 
cents. More than one mile and not exceeding two miles, $1.00 ; 
each additional person fifty cents. More than two, but not 
exceeding three miles, $1.50; each additional person $1.00. 
For any distance more than three miles, for two-horse car- 
riages $2.00 for the first hour and $1.50 for each additional 
hour. For one-horse carriages, $1.50 for the first hour and 
$1.00 for each additional hour. Baggage alone, not exceed- 
ing one mile, twenty-five cents ; one to two miles, fifty cents ; 
two to three miles, seventy-five cents. 

Overcharge renders the driver liable to a penalty not ex- 
ceeding $25.00. On hiring a carriage always make a bargain 
with the driver. In case of overcharge, take the number of 



12 
the vehicle and enter complaint to the Superintendent of the 
Reservation, if the offense is committed there, or at the 
Police Station opposite Erie Depot, if elsewhere. 

The Miller & Brundage Co. control the transfer of passen- 
gers and baggage at the New York Central Railroad Station. 
Their agents solicit business on all trains entering the city, 
and have carriages in waiting at the depots ; they also con- 
trol the privileges at the Whirlpool and Whirlpool Rapids, 
American side. Passengers using their carriages to the 
latter places are sold tickets at half rates. 

Reservation Carriages. 

From June 1st to September 1st leave Inclined Railway 
Terminal Station, Prospect Park, every ten to fifteen minutes, 
stopping at all important points on Goat Island. Tickets 
(15 cents) allow stop over and are good on any carriage of 
the line. 

Canadian Side. 

Maximum rates allowed by ordinance, two-horse vehicle 
$1.50, one-horse $1.00 per hour. By the day $8.00 for two 
and $4.00 for one-horse vehicles. Special rates between 
fixed points are as follows : — • 



Lower Steel Arch Bridge, or G. T. Sta- 
tion to Reservation or Table Rock 

U. Arch Bridge to Table Rock 

U. Arch Bridge to Falls Station, M. C. 
and C. S. R 

Distances in town, not exceeding 1 mile 

Over 1 and not more than Smiles 

Exceeding 1}4 miles 



Two Horses. 



$1.00 
.50 

.25 
.25 

.371 
.50" 






$1.25 



.50 
.37* 
.50" 
.75 



Children between 2 and 10 years, half price 



One Horse. 



25c. 
25 

25 
12i 
20 
25 



75c. 
37i 

25 
20 
25 
37^ 



$1.00 
.50 

.50 
.30 

.371 
.50 



h;^ CD 



25c. 
12i 

25 

10 
12* 

20" 



Electric Railways. 

Cars leave the foot of Falls street as follows : 

For Buffalo every fifteen minutes in winter and more 



13 
frequently in summer (During Pan-American, every five 
minutes) ; fare, one way, thirty-five cents ; round trip, fifty 
cents. Transfer at Tonawanda for Lockport. For Gorge 
Road every hour in winter ; every fifteen minutes in summer, 
(Road not in operation during March and April) ; round trips 
seventy-five cents, one way fifty cents. This road checks 
baggage, 150 pounds for whole and seventy-five pounds for 
half ticket. For Canadian side, via upper steel bridge, every 
fifteen minutes in winter and more frequently in summer. 
For St. Catliarines, Out., via Niagara, St. Catherines and 
Toronto Electric Railway, every two hours in winter and one 
hour in summer. Fare seventy -five cents round trip, fifty 
cents one way. During 1901, this company expects to run 
half-hour cars to Port Dalhousie, where they will connect 
with boats to Toronto. (For points within the city every five 
to fifteen minutes ; fare five cents. For Whirlpool Rapids 
and Devil's Hole see index.') 



Tourists' Directory. 

Post-Office, Falls street, near First. 

Telegraph: Postal Telegraph Co., 41 Falls street. 
Western Union, 32 Falls street, New York Central Depot , 
and at Cataract and International Hotels in summer. 

Express. American, 29 Falls street, and New York Cen- 
tral Depot. American National and Canadian, north end 
of Central Depot. United States and Pacific, 41 Falls 
street. Wells-Fargo, No. 9 International Block, Falls 
street near Main. 

Banks. Bank of Niagara, Falls street, corner Main. 
Power City Bank, Gluck Building, Falls street, opposite 
Central Depot. Bank of Suspension Bridge, corner Main 
and Cleveland streets. 

Newspapers, Daily, The Niagara Falls Gazette, (Rep.) 
and the Cataract- Journal, (Dem.). 

Theatre. International. Lower end of Falls street 



14 

(open all the year). Museums. Niagara Falls Museum, 
315-319 Riverway, also known as Davis^s, adjacent to the 
Tower Hotel. Admission twenty-five cents. Contains a 
large collection of natural history specimens, mostly zoolog- 
ical, a section of a sequoia seventy-seven feet in circumfer- 
ence, skeletons of a whale, mummies, Egyptian and Assyrian 
antiquities, minerals, etc., etc. Fine view of the park and 
river from the roof. Tugby's Museum, 30-38 West Falls 
street, adjacent to Tugby's Bazaar, has a fine group of 
grizzly bear and young, near the door, with excellent speci- 
mens of stuffed mammals, birds and birds' eggs forming the 
bulk of the collection. The top floor has the walls adorned 
with paintings illustrating events in the history of the 
Niagara region. Admission ten cents. 

Stores. The principal business places are located on Falls 
street between the Central Depot and Prospect Park. On 
that account almost any article required may be found after 
a few minutes' search, and therefore only a limited number 
of dealers will be noticed. Fancy goods, photographs, 
Indian bead work and moccasins, canoes, etc., are widely 
sold, and may be found in almost any store you enter. Among 
the larger dealers are, Mrs. Isaac Davy, International The- 
atre Building, West Falls street, and Tugby's Bazaar oppo- 
site ; Libbie and Katie, 113-115 Main street, opposite the 
Cataract House (German spoken). The Tower Hotel and Ni- 
agara Museum have good stocks. On the Canadian side sales- 
rooms for these articles may be found at the Inclined Rail- 
way Station, The Dufferin Restaurant and Table Rock Elevator. 

Newspapers and Periodicals. The Niagara Falls News Co., 
103-108 Falls street. 

Stationer. G. S. Cowper, 39 Falls street. 

Jewelers. T. V. Dickinson, 27 Falls street. Max Elbe, 105 
Falls street. 

Opticians: T. V. Dickinson, 27 Falls street, Max Elbe, 
105 Falls street and C. F. Curling, 5 Arcade Building. 



15 

Photographers. H. F. Neilson, 52 Niagara street. Jas. 
A. Koonz, 233 First street. Geo. E. Curtis, Falls street, 
and many others 

Florists, E. A. Butler, 526 Main street, C. J. Biggar, 755 
7th street. 

' Bicycles, sporting goods, bicycle repairs, Rae, 120 Falls 
street 

Customs— American Side. 

The Port of Niagara Falls is at Suspension Bridge, near 
Main street. Custom Officers are also stationed at the ter- 
mini of the bridges, and inspect all baggage. 

Canadian Bicycles leave Wheelmen's League card at 
American Customs Office or give satisfactory reference, 
otherwise wheels are dutiable. All goods coming from Can- 
ada are liable to duty, but examination of hand baggage is 
not rigorous. The examinations on the Canadian side are 
similar to those on the American 

Cameras for tourists' use go free. 

Bridges. Four bridges span the Gorge below the Falls. 
The Upper Steel Arch Bridge near Prospect Park was 
built in 1898, taking the place of a form.er suspension car- 
riage and foot bridge. Length 1240 feet, height of floor 
above water 192 feet. Depth of water under the bridge 160 
feet, width of floorway 46 feet ; length of arch span 840 
feet, making this the longest bridge of its kind in the world. 
Electric railway, carriage and foot passenger traffic. Fare, 
carriage with one person twenty-five cents, two persons 
thirty cents, three or more ten cents for each person. Foot 
passengers ten cents, round trip fifteen cents ; trolley ride 
across bridge included. ] 

Next below is the Steel Cantilever Bridge of the Mich- 
igan Central Railroad, built in 1883. Length 910 feet; 
height above water 245 feet. For railway traffic only. A 
few rods below is the Lower Steel Arch Bridge of the 
Grand Trunk Railroad, completed in 1897. Total length 
1080 feet. Center span 550 feet. Center of arch 226 feet 



16 
above the water. Upper track for railway, lower for carriage 
and foot traffic. Fare ten cents ; ticket good for return same 
day. . Carriage twenty cents. An additional charge of 20 
cents is made for carriages containing only one or two per- 
sons ; when it contains three or more, the vehicle goes free. 

This bridge replaces the old Suspension bridge built by J. 
A. Roebling in 1858, in its time the most remarkable struc- 
ture of the kind in the world. Its length of span was 825' 
feet ; height of track above the v/ater 258 feet ; height of 
American Towers eighty-eight feet, of Canadian seventy- 
eight feet. It had 9,000 miles of wire in the four cables. 
The first string was carried over by a kite. This was fol- 
lowed by a rope, and that by a wire, by which the heavier 
cables were drawn across. 

The New Suspension Bridge at Queenston was built in 
1889 on the site of the old suspension bridge built in 1851 
by Capt. E. W. Serrell and destroyed by wind in 1864. 
The cable span is 1040 feet. Suspended span 800 feet. 
Height above river, sixty-five feet. The Bridge w^as formally 
opened for traffic in 1899. (^Fare, round trip, fifteen cents, 
each way ten cents.) 

The Parks. 

The two beautiful Parks, including the choicest part of 
Niagara, owe their existence to a chance meeting between 
Governor Robinson of New York and Lord Dufferin, then 
Governor General of Canada, in 1878. The latter suggested 
joint action on the part of the State of New York and of the 
Province of Ontario, to acquire the lands about the great 
cataract, and to make of them an international reservation 
free to the public forever. Each Government should retain 
jurisdiction of its own portion of the Park, but with a 
mutual understanding as to the general regulations to be 
enforced on both sides. In his next message, Governor Rob- 
inson recommended the appointment of commissioners to 
confer with like commissioners, appointed by the Province 
of Ontario, for consideration of the plan. Similar recom- 



17 
mendations were made by Lord Dufferin to the Ontario Gov- 
ernment. In 1884 the purchase of Prospect Park and the 
lands adjacent to the rapids, together with the islands in the 
river near them, was consummated, the State of New York 
paying for them an aggregate of $1,433,429.50. In 1885 
the Dominion Government purchased 154 acres, extending 
from the Clifton House southward to and including Cedar and 
Dufferin Islands, paying for them $436,000. The Park so 
called was subsequently increased by the chain reserve, a 
strip sixty-six feet wide along the river front, from Fort 
Erie to Queenston, by the addition of about ninety acres at 
Foster's Flats, and of about 100 acres more including the 
old battlefield at Brock's Monument near Queenston. It is 
supported by the sale of franchises for restaurant, railway 
and power purposes which yield an annual income of $48,200. 
With the exception of about $8,000 received annually from 
the Inclined Railway and minor rentals, the maintenance of 
the New York Reservation is borne by the State treasury. 
How well the public appreciates the beneficence of the gov- 
ernments which have made this magnificent scenery free, is 
attested by the fact that over half a million people visit the 
Parks each year. 



How to See Niagara. 



Of the six hundred thousand or more people who visit the 
Falls every year, the greater part remains only for periods 
ranging from one hour to one day. Although bridges and 
electric railways have greatly increased the earlier facilities 
for reaching points of interest, such short time is inadequate 
for seeing the whole of Niagara, or even all of its most 
striking features. It is, therefore, of much importance for 
the tourist, whose stay at Niagara must be brief, to know 
how he may utilize his time to the best advantage. The fol- 
lowing itineraries are planned to enable the visitor, whether 
his stay be short or long, to see the greatest possible amount 
in the time at his disposal. Although Niagara is now prac- 
tically free, it is well to remember that the tourist with 
limited time, who has already spent a considerable sum in 
reaching the Falls, may exercise economy by the judicious 
expenditure of a little more money in seeing them after his 
arrival. 

The letters in parentheses refer to detailed itineraries on 
succeeding pages. The arrangement of trips is based upon 
the time at the tourist's disposal. 

TRIP 1: From depots or Prospect Park entrance, 
American side. Time, one hour. 

Walk To Upper Arch Bridge and pass out to the middle. 
See trip (D). Return to bridge entrance, take right hand 
path and pass along edge of bank to American Fall (A). 
Omit descent of inclined railway. Follow rapids upwards 
from Prospect Point to Green Island Bridge : Return to park 
entrance: or 

Take Carriage for excursions (A) and (B), omitting descent 

18 




Slater, Photo. 



HENNEPIN'S VIEW— From Prospect Park. 



20 
by inclined railway. Stops will be brief at all points, and 
some may have to be left out altogether, or 

Take Carriage to Horseshoe Fall via Upper Arch Bridge 
(D). Make stop only at Table Rock. 

TRIP 2: Starting as in Trip 1. Time, two hours. 

Good pedestrians may cover excursions (A) and (B) in the 
time by omitting descent of inclined railway. The use of 
the reservation carriages shortens the time, makes the trip 
easier, and may enable the visitor to descend Inclined Rail- 
way. To avoid mistakes, defer descent until return from 
the islands. 

By Carriage, excursions (A) (B) and (D) may be covered, 
with short stops at principal points of interest. It is advised 
to begin with (D) and follow with (A) and (B) in succession. 
Consult driver regarding time before making descent of 
inclined railway, or elevator. To Lewiston and return by 
Great Gorge Route (N) Belt Line trip across Upper Arch 
Bridge and around lower gorge (D) (J) (L) (M) (N). Run- 
ning time of car, 2 hrs. 10 min. These trips will be prac- 
ticable in summer, but inquiry should be made regarding 
times of start and return if trip is to be completed in time to 
meet train. Office foot of Falls street, nearly opposite ter- 
minus, right hand side. 

TRIP 3: Time One-half Day (Four to Five Hours.) 

(A) and (B) starting with ascent of Observation Tower, 
and including descent of Inclined Railway. Either the trip 
in the Maid of the Mist or trip (C) may be taken, but not 
both Use reservation carriages. Follow with (D). If 
one hour remains, you may visit the Canadian Rapids (E) ; if 
tw^o, take the trip round the gorge to Queenston, Lewiston 
and back to Prospect Park, without stopping off. 

Trip 4: One Day. 

From American side (A) (B) (C) (D) (E), to Lower Arch 
Bridge, (J) (L) (M) (N). 



■ \ 




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: 1 .■'".. 



S/rfft-r. f>/!?o/o. 







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Niclsoa, Photo. 



PROSPECT PARK IN WINTER. 



22 

From Slater's Point, or Chippewa, reverse trip (G) (E) 
then to Table Rock (D), then by trolley to Lower Arch 
Bridge, (J) (L) (M) (N), Observation Tower (A) (B) and (C). 

Either of these trips is a full day's work and a hard one. 
By following the routes indicated, the tourist may see twice 
as much in the time as he would be able to do if left to his 
own devices. 

The trip to the Devil's Hole and return, (0), may be 
easily made in half a day, or (0) and (P) in a day. For other 
trips, see itineraries in detail. 



Itineraries. 

All electric cars entering Niagara Falls, N. Y., run t? 
Prospect Park at the foot of Falls street, which is also the 
point of starting for sight-seers who have come by other 
conveyances. Upon alighting, the American Rapids with 
the bridges to Green and Goat Islands are seen on the left. 
In front, near the farther side of the park, toward the Amer- 
ican Fall is the stone upper station of the Inclined Railway. 
On the right near the Riverway, is the new Shelter, contain- 
ing toilet rooms and the offices of the Superintendent, Clerk 
and Board of Commissioners. Nearly opposite the Shelter 
is the Steel Observation Tower, 300 feet high, from which the 
whole panorama of Niagara may be seen. As the stranger 
often becomes confused as to the relative directions between 
points of interest, because of the abrupt change of the course 
of the river at the falls, the ascent of the tower is strongly 
advised. An electric elevator takes you to the top in two 
and one-half ninutes; fee twenty-five cents. From the 
upper platform Buffalo may be seen on the south, and Lake 
Ontario on the north, with the magnificent sweep of river, 
falls and country round about. A folder furnished by the 
conductor indicates points of interest. The elevator is 
usually closed for repairs for a few weeks in December or 
January. 



23 
(A) Prospect Park and the American Fall. 

From the foot of Falls street two paths lead through the 
park towards the falls. Following that on the right as far 
as the carriage drive, a sign board seen near the path be- 
yond marks Hennepin's View of the American and Horse- 
shoe Falls. Below this, the dock of the little steamer Maid 
of the Mist is seen at the water's edge, with the inclined 
railway to the left and nearer the fall. Across the river is 
the corresponding dock of the Maid with another inclined 
railway descending to it. Following the path downward, a 
walk of one to two minutes brings us to Prospect Point at 
the very edge of the American Fall, beyond which is Luna 
Island, separated from Goat Island beyond by the little Luna 
Fall. A path to the left leads upward along the edge of the 
rapids to Bath or Green Island Bridge. The contour line of 
the American Fall is 1060 feet; height of fall, 167 feet. 

Descent to Foot of American Fall. 

The Upper Terminal Station near Prospect Point contains 
waiting and toilet rooms; good drinking water outside in 
the rear. Descent from here to the foot of the American 
Fall is attained by means of the inclined railway (fare five 
cents each way), or on foot by means of a stairway of 251 
steps (f ree) . Toilet room in lower station. One-half to three- 
fourths hour should be allowed for this trip. Rubbers and 
waterproofs or umbrellas desirable. From the lower end of 
the railway the best view of the cataract from below is ob- 
tained. Caution should be used in approaching the falls, as 
a sudden change of wind is liable to drench the visitor. 

From the inclined railway a path descends on the right to 
the dock of the Maid of the Mist. The Upper Steel Arch 
Bridge is seen spanning the gorge beyond. The visitor may, 
if he wishes, now take the 

Trip on the Maid of the Mist. 

Fare, fifty cents, including waterproof suit. Ticket per- 
mits landing on Canadian side and return the same day. 
Time of trip, about one hour. 



24 
The little steamer passes to the left in front of the Amer- 
ican and Luna Falls and Goat Island, well up into the midst of 
the Horseshoe. Returning, it drops slowly down the river, 
usually making a landing on the Canadian side before reaching 
its point of starting. This trip more than any other im- 
presses the tourist with the power and majesty of the cata- 
ract. It should be taken if time permits. 

(B) From Prospect Park around Goat Island. 

This tour may be made on foot by a fairly good pedestrian 
in two hours, and if the tourist enjoys walking and is not 
pressed for time, that method will prove most satisfactory. 

The reservation roads are excellent for bicycling, and 
wheelmen will cover the same ground in about half the time 
required by pedestrians. 

Reservation carriages (page 12) leave the Inclined Railway 
Station every ten to fifteen minutes, and make the tour of 
the island, stopping at the principal points of interest. 
Purchase tickets at the station or of the driver. From Sep- 
tember first to November first the carriages are run at 
longer intervals, and after that are not to be depended upon. 

From the park we cross the bridge to Bath or Green Island, 
getting a fine view of the American Rapids on either hand. 

Above Green Island is a smaller one. Ship Island, and still 
farther up and nearer the American shore, Brig Island. Be- 
low Green Island are seen Robinson Island and Bird Island, 
the former nearer the American shore. Below Bird Island 
lies Crow Island, with Luna Island at the edge of the cata- 
ract, near the Goat Island shore. We now cross a second 
bridge to Goat Island, turn to the right and ascend to the 
plateau. The Shelter at the right affords rest and protection 
in case of rain, and contains lavatories and drinking water. 

HISTORICAL: In 1770 John Stedman, the survivor of the 
Devil's Hole massacre, cleared the upper part of the island 
and cultivated it. In the fall he brought over a number of 
domestic animals, all of which perished during the winter 
with the exception of a single male goat. From this 



26 
circumstance the island took its name. The more euphonious 
title of ''Iris Island" was afterwards proposed by General 
Porter, a later owner, but the earlier name persisted and by 
that it is still called. (See Goat Island, by Peter A. Porter, 
Buffalo, 1900). 

BOTANICAL : Ice from the lakes above keeps the waters 
of the river cool and delays the growth of vegetation on the 
island until late in the spring ; but when it once begins, de- 
velopment of bud, flower and fruit is exceedingly rapid like 
that of sub-artic flora. David F. Day lists 909 species 
growing in the vicinity of Niagara Falls. While all of these 
are not found on Goat Island, ''probably no tract of land in 
its vicinity, so restricted in area, can be found exhibiting so 
large a number. ' ' For list of plants see 14th Annual Report 
Commissioners State Reservation, to be had at Superinten- 
dent's Office, Prospect Park. Permission to collect plants 
should be asked at the same place. 

GEOLOGICAL : The upper end of the island is of limestone 
thinly overlaid with soil. All the rest is covered with a de- 
posit of river gravel and sand which is thickest on the lower 
or western end, and contains numerous fresh-water shells of 
species now living in the Niagara River or Lake Erie, to- 
gether with a few which are extinct. Fragments of these 
shells may be seen in the edge of the bank between Luna and 
Horseshoe Falls and in the gravel pit (page 32). These 
gravels are part of a much larger deposit made when the 
river stood at a higher level. Gravels containing the same 
shells occur on the Canadian side and in Prospect Park at 
approximately the same height, indicating that they were 
formed at the same time and in the same manner. That 
they are post-glacial is proved by the fact that they are 
underlaid by red glacial clays and contain granitic bowlders 
which must have been brought here by glacial agencies. 

A monograph on the fresh-water shells above referred to 
has been published by Miss J. E. Letson, Curator of the 
Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. 




Slater, Pkoto. 



AMERICAN FALL FROM GOAT ISLAND. 



28 

From the Shelter the path and carriage drive follow the 
bank to Luna Fall, where a stop is made. A stairway leads 
downward, from which several fine views of Luna Fall and 
the American Fall are obtained, with Prospect Park and the 
Observation Tower in the background. 

The bridge of red Medina sandstone at the bottom of the 
stairs leads across to Luna Island. Turning to the left 
after crossing the bridge we arrive at the brink of Luna 
Fall. The wooden bridge skirting the fall below is used for 
access to the Cave of the Winds. On the opposite side of the 
island we obtain a Near View of the American Fall, and the 
gorge beyond. The ravine opposite the center of the Amer- 
ican Fall is 1700 feet wide. 

Returning to the top of the stairway the visitor may again 
enter the carriage or walk south to the Biddle Stairs (20 to 
30 rods) where is the entrance to the Cave of the Winds. 

(C) Excursion to the Cave of the Winds, 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Descent to the base of the cliff by means of the stairs is 
free. To visit the cave, obtain guide and waterproof suit at 
the entrance. (Fee for both, one dollar. Valuables should 
be left in charge of attendant. ) A spiral staircase descends 
to the base of the Niagara limestone. From the foot of the 
stairway, a poorly kept path turns to the left towards the 
Horseshoe. Following the path to the right along the base 
of the cliff, a walk of one minute or less brings you to Luna 
Fall, behind which is the cave. This may be entered from 
either side; but it is customary to approach it from the 
American Fall. The guide conducts you down the stairway 
to the left, across the bridges in front of Luna Fall to a 
point between it and the American Fall. On bright days 
circular rainbows may be seen during the passage, especially 
in the afternoon. The cave, a natural chamber about 100 x 
78 feet in dimension, and more than 100 feet high, has been 
hollowed out by the erosion of water projected against the 
cliff by air-blasts. 

The return is made through the cavern behind the fall. 





LUNA FALL FROM BELOW. 



Slater, Photo. 



30 
Fierce blasts of wind propelling sheets of falling water 
assail the visitor at every step and make of this a novel and 
memorable experience. 

Near the water's edge, between Luna Fall and the Biddle 
Staircase, Sam Patch made one of his famous leaps in 1829. 
A ladder with its base against the rocks was supported by 
ropes attached to the cliff above so that the top overhung 
the river. From a platform on the apex of this structure 
he made his plunge of 95 feet into the water below. He 
lost his life in making a similar jump at Rochester, N. Y., 
November 13 of the same year. 

We return by the stairway to the top of the cliff. 

From the Biddle Stairs the carriage or a pleasant walk of 
three to five minutes takes one to the Horseshoe Fall View, 
from which the Canadian Fall is seen to advantage. At the 
apex of the angle where the waters meet for their plunge 
into the gulf below, geyser-like jets of spray may be seen 
to shoot at short intervals upward above the edge of the 
fall. These are probably caused by the bursting of giant 
bubbles (see page 43). The gorge is here 1250 feet in 
width. From the platform a stairway descends to the level 
of the river, whence a walk guarded by railings leads out- 
ward to Terrapin Rock at the very edge of the fall. 

Near the present terminus of the walk, a stone structure 
called Terrapin Tower was built in 1833. It was a round 
tower 43 feet high, 12 feet in diameter at the base and 8 
feet at the top, where there was a gallery commanding a 
near view of the Horseshoe and the gulf below. Owing to 
its proximity to the retreating edge of the fall, it came to 
be considered unsafe and was blown up with gunpowder in 
1873. 

Returning to the top of the stairway, we find by the drive 
a pavilion for shelter, and opposite on the edge of the bank 
a drinking fountain with excellent cool water. The carriage 
may be resumed or the trip continued on foot. Two fine 
views of the rapids and Horseshoe may be seen within two 




TERRAPIN ROCK FROM GOAT ISLAND. 



Slater, Photo. 



33 
minutes' v/alk upstream, the better being where a rustic 
bench stands near a basswood tree. The stone building 
seen on the brow of the hill across the river is the *S'^. 
Loretto Convent (page 49). About 75 yards farther on a 
road leads to the left towards the gravel pits, the best place 
on the island to see the fresh water shells mentioned on 
page 26. 

Beyond the road to the gravel pit the island near the edge 
of the water is protected by crib work. This was rendered 
necessary by the high water of 1889, which undermined the 
bank so as to endanger the roadway. About 800 yards far- 
ther on we pass a large pavilion on the left, and stop at 
Three Sisters Islands. A stone bridge with a small fall, the 
Hermifs Cascade, above it extends to the First Sister. The 
First and Second, and the Second and Third Sisters are con- 
nected by suspension bridges, the last spanning a pretty fail, 
below and to the left of which is Little Brother Island, sepa- 
rated from the Thii^d Sister by swift water. From the 
upper end of the Third Sister is an unsurpassed view of the 
Canadian Rapids. Another, nearly as good, may be had 
from the lower end, looking toward the Canadian shore. 

In 1829 Francis Abbott, known as the *' Hermit of the 
Falls," came here and occupied a hut on the northeasterly 
side of the island, living with no companions except a cat 
and dog. He was a refined, scholarly man, writing much but 
immediately destroying his work. His favorite pastimes 
were playing on a flute or guitar, and bathing, for which 
latter purpose he used the pool nearly under the fall now 
called after him. (Read Porter's ''Goat Island" and the 
''Guide to Niagara Falls, " by F. H. Severance, page 29.) 

To return to Prospect Park from the stone bridge, we may 
take the road leading north past the pavilion to Green Island 
Bridge, or the preferable road which skirts the upper end of 
Goat Island. The latter route is that followed by the reser- 
vation carriages, which stop at The Spring, a small fountain 
of clear, cool water, reached by an easy stairway. From 




A. IV. 'Bayard, Photo. 
CANADIAN RAPIDS FROM THIRD SISTER ISLAND. 



















-1^ 












fife?<^^ 








-■'«^ 


P^ri^^^^S 


•?/"■■' , 


c^ 




^ 


""ii ji^^j^^^^^^taHHn^^ 


m^^ 











/. p. Bishop, Photo. 
PATH NEAR HORSESHOE FALL— Winter. 



34 
here the carriage returns to Prospect Park via Green Island 
and Falls street, where connections are made with electric 
cars. 

(Z) To Port Day. 

From the Green Island Bridge entrance, a driveway and 
path extend parallel with the river through a beautiful park 
upward along the American shore as far as Port Day. The 
lower part affords some fine views of the rapids, and the 
upper a glance at the smooth water above them and of the 
great manufacturing plants beyond the power canal. The 
trip makes an exceedingly pleasant walk or drive of one-half 
to three-quarters of an hour, returning from Port Day by 
the same route, or by Quay, Erie and Falls streets to Pros- 
pect Park. 

(D) From Prospect Park to Horseshoe Fall by Way of Upper 

Steel Arch Bridge (for bridge, see page 15). Running 

Time by Electric Rail^vay 20 minvites. 

A trolley car from the foot of Falls street takes passen- 
gers across the bridge where they are transferred to car for 
the Horseshoe and Chippewa. Ask Conductor for transfer 
check each time you step off the car. Carriages may also be 
had at the trolley terminus at Falls street. Purchase 
bridge tickets at the bridge entrance. (Fare and Customs, 
page 15). It is advised, however, to walk or drive slowly 
across the bridge, which affords the best General View of the 
Falls. Looking up the river. Prospect Park lies on the left, 
with the Inclined Railway descending to the river. Between 
the railway terminal and the bridge is the dock of the 
steamer Maid of the Mist. Beyond the railway are seen in 
succession the American Fall, Luna Island, with the narrow 
Luna Fall separating it from Goat Island, and beyond Goat 
Island the Horseshoe Fall. On the Canadian side above the 
bridge is seen the Inclined Railway extending down to the 
Maid of the Mist landing. Farther up near the fall is the 
Hydraulic Lift by which access to the foot of the Canadian 
Fall is obtained. Below and nearly under the bridge on the 
American side is seen the arched outlet of the Niagara Falls 



36 
Power Company's Tunnel, with the city trunk sewer opening 
beyond. The Clinton limestone outcrops just above the 
mouth of the tunnel, the red Medina rock shows below. The 
first building near the water's edge is the pulp-mill of the 
Cliff Paper Company, next to which is the power house of 
the Niagara Falls Hydraulic and Manufacturing Company. 
The Cantilever Bridge and the Lower Steel Arch Railway 
Bridge (page 15) are seen in the distance. After crossing 




AMERICAN FALL FROM CANADIAN SIDE. 



the bridge we turn to the left, passing the ruins of the old 
Clifton House. At the edge of the bank is the Bazaar and 
Upper Terminal Station of the Inclined Railway, and the ticket 
office for the Maid of the Mist. (Railway fare five cents 
each way; for Maid of the Mist, see page 23). A superb 
View of the American and Luna Falls is obtained from the 
window (free). 

Beyond the Terminal Station we pass the ferry road on 
the left (descent free), and on the right the office of the 




ICE BRIDGE 

Park Superintendent with flag-pole adjacent. The rustic 
summer house at the left, ''Ramblers Rest," is a particu- 
larly good point from which to see the opposite falls. ''In- 
spiration Point,' ' the next rustic shelter beyond, is the 
favorite prospect, although other vistas nearly as good open 
in several places all the way to the Dufferin Restaurant. 




ICE MOUNDS— American Fail. 



39 

Just before reaching this we pass on oar right a monument 
to Col. Sir Casimir Gzowski, chairman of the first board of 
commissioners of Victoria Park. 




/. F. Bi.top. Photo. 



HORSESHOE FALL FROM ABOVE. 




THE HORSESHOE FROM TABLE ROCK. 



40 

Across the road from the next stone building beyond the 
restaurant is the Hydraulic Elevator to the Cave of the Winds. 
We now arrive at Table Rock and the Canadian or Horseshoe 
Fall, generally regarded as the grandest part of Niagara. 

The crest line of this fall was, in 1890, 3,010 feet long, 
and probably exceeds that length now, as the center is 
continually receding. The height at the apex of the 
curve is 158 feet. About nine-tenths of the volume of 
the river follows this channel. Father Louis Hennepin, who 
visited the Falls in December, 1678, and who gave the first 
written account of them, described a third fall dropping into 
the chasm from the west a short distance above the spot 
where the elevator now stands. An overhanging ledge 
called Table Rock marked the supposed site of this fall until 
about fifty years ago, when the greater part of the ledge 
broke off and dropped into the gorge below. The name, 
however, is still retained for the railed-in space nearest the 
brink of the fall. 

A Cold Water Geyser. 

At the apex of the angle where the waters plunge from 
both sides into the abyss below, geyser-like jets of water 
shoot upwards at intervals of a few seconds above the crest 
of the Falls. Accompanying them may be heard dull explo- 
sions like the sound of distant cannon. Some of these jets 
are 200 feet high from base to apex, and residents in that 
vicinity report them as being at least 250 feet high at times. 
The cause of them has been the subject of much discussion but 
the probable explanation is this : Water, like any other fall- 
ing body, increases its velocity the longer it falls, and the 
lower parts tend to separate from those above, thus produc- 
ing ''suction" and drawing air into the stream. It is 
this air which gives the dazzling whiteness to the falling 
sheet. The descending water column carries the air far 
down into the river, here probably 160 or more feet deep, 
the inertia of the falling mass and the weight of the water 
compressing the air to a small part of its original volume. 




/. p. bishop, Thoto. 
EFFECTS OF AIR EXPLOSIONS.— Horseshoe Fall. 



43 

The air bubbles finally reach a depth where their buoyancy 
overcomes the force which carried them down, and many of 
them coalesce to form giant bubbles which begin to rise 
towards the surface. As they move upward, the pressure 
of the water above them becomes less, they expand rapidly 
and when near the surface burst, throwing the water high 
into the air. That the jets are not caused by explosions be- 
hind the cataract is proven by the fact that the jets rise 




CANADIAN FALL FROM TABLE ROCK. 



[Xiclson, Photo. 



44 

outside the falling sheet of water. The above-water 
erosion behind the fall is also probably due to the action 
of water driven by air currents. Unless the wind is 
contrary there is usually a stiff breeze generated by 
the waterfall blowing out of the gorge at Table Rock. 
This is often strong enough to interfere with the carrying 
of umbrellas, and generally at variance with the prevailing 
air currents outside. Descent to the foot of the fall may 
be made by the hydraulic elevator. (Round trip tickets in- 
cluding waterproof suit and guide, 50 cents. Without suit 
and guide, 25 cents. Dressing room and ticket office in the 
stone building opposite.) At the foot of the elevator a 
path leads to the right towards the fall. Near the edge of 
the cataract the guide conducts you through a short tunnel ; 
emerging, you pass a little way behind the sheet of falling 
water. 

The view from the foot of the fall is regarded by many as 
the most impressive of all. Where spots of almost equal in- 
terest are so numerous, choice is, of course, almost a mat- 
ter of taste rather than of actual beauty or sublimity. We 
return to the roadway by means of the elevator. 

(E) From Horseshoe Falls to Dxafferin. Islands. 

From Table Rock to Duiferin Islands is a pleasant walk of 
fifteen to twenty minutes, or a ride of four to five minutes 
by trolley. Above the Horseshoe Fall carriages pay toll, 
fifty cents for two-horse and twenty-five cents for one-horse 
vehicles. (Toll-gate at Cedar Island.) We first pass on 
the left the Pumping Station near the fall, and a little 
further on the Electric Power House on the right. The road 
crosses a small bridge to Cedar Island, returning to the 
mainland higher up, and giving a continuous view of the 
rapids all the way to the Dufferin Islands. The finest pros- 
pect is obtained from the shore almost opposite the wooden 
platform which serves as a station. The rapids are here 
nearly a mile wide and have a fall of about 56 feet from 
their head to the apex of the Horseshoe. Looking across 



45 

towards the Three Sisters Islands, the rushing, tumbling 
waters afford a beautiful spectacle not unlike the ocean in a 
storm, a most interesting part of Niagara, too often missed 
by those who follow the conventional route of travel. 

From the trolle}^ station excellent foot-paths lead in 
various directions among the islands, all affording pleasant, 
shady walks. (For botany see page 26). Descending the one 
which* leads towards the nearest bridge, we follow a plank 
walk downw^ard, skirting the southerly side of the island 
along the very edge of the w-ater. Near the western end a 
suspension foot-bridge spans the water to the opposite shore. 
We may cross this and pass to the right, returning to the 
station by the foot-path along the rapids, or w^e may go back 
by one of the paths through the wooded islands. The latter 
route is the shorter and in pleasant weather the more desir- 
able. For the stop at Dufferin Islands at least an hour 
should be allowed, and twice that time could be profitably 
spent in this delightful spot. 

(F) To tKe Bvirning Spring, one-Ka^lf mile, 45 rr\ir\vites. 

At the foot of the bluff, across the bridge leading from the 
station, was the old Burning Spring, now extinct. It con- 
sisted of a jet of natural gas w^hich bubbled up through the 
water from a crevice in the limestone beneath, and w^as 
ignited for the delectation of visitors. Turning to the right 
at the end of the bridge, we follow the road up the hill. 
The wooden building seen in front after reaching the top 
contains a bazaar and the Burning Spring. (Admission to 
the latter, 50 cents.) A jet of sulphuretted hydrogen gas is 
allowed by the attendant to bubble up through a muddy pool 
in a darkened room. When ignited, the gas burns to the 
height of three to five feet. People liking an exhibition of 
this nature will feel repaid for their visit to it. From the 
Burning Spring carriages may return, if desired, by way of 
Loretto Convent and Lundy's Lane. 



46 
(G) From D\jfferin Islands to CKippe^vek.. 

The electric railway follows the river bank to Chippewa 
Creek, crossing the stream within the village limits. Chip- 
pewa is a very old town and at one time was of considerable 
importance as the upper terminus of the portage from 
Queenston. It derives its special distinction from the battle 
which was fought there July 5, 1814. (See index.) On the 
morning of that day the British were encamped on the north 
side of the creek. The battle in the afternoon took place 
on the plain south of the village. The remains of the Brit- 




Slater, Photo. 
LOOKING OUT OF CHIPPEWA CREEK— Old Battlefield. 

ish earthworks are still to be seen where the creek joins the 
river. A skeleton which, from the articles found near it, 
was evidently that of a British soldier, was dug up in 1899 
by workmen repairing the electric railway tracks nearly op- 
posite the old wharf. Hotel, the Baltimore House, unpre- 
tentious but well spoken of. 

From Chippewa the electric railway extends to Slater's 
Point on the old battlefield, where connections are made with 
the International Navigation Company's steamers to and 
from Buifalo. We return to the Upper Arch Bridge by car. 



47 

(H) From Upper Steel Arch Bridge to Lower Arch Bridge, 
Canadian Side Pedestrian.* 

GEOLOGICAL: Opposite the end of the bridge, looking 
west, are seen three terraces indicating former and higher 
stages of the river. These may be traced, with short inter- 
ruptions, to the whirlpool and beyond. Crossing the road 
and following the walk north on the left-hand side, a few 
steps brings us to a quarry where nodules of massive gyp- 
sum occur together with other crystalline minerals. A lit- 
tle farther on, almost opposite the manufacturing establish- 
ments to be seen across the river, an excavation in the 
gravel bank to the left of the walk shows fairly good speci- 
mens of fresh water shells. (See page 26). Ascending the 
first gentle rise of ground, the iron fence skirting the road- 
way turns abruptly to the right, enclosing a projecting bluff. 
At the north end of this is a possible but difficult descent to 
the base of the cliff, (dangerous. ) A small platform on the 
right hand at the second bend in the road beyond, marks the 
site of an iron ladder (private), also used for descent. Just 
before reaching the cantilever bridge, the tracks of the Niag- 
ara Gorge Electric Railway may be seen traversing obliquely 
the bank on the American side. This walk also affords a 
good view of the still water between the upper and lower steel 
arch bridges. Pleasant but not specially attractive. Time, 
fifty minutes. Distance, about one and three-quarter miles. 

(I) Fron\ Lo-wer Arch Bridge to Lundy's Lane and Loretto 
Convent by Electric R.ail^vay. 

The Niagara Falls, Wesley Park and Clifton Tramway 
Company's electric cars leave the Lower Arch Bridge every 
twenty minutes from 6.15 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. (first car Sun- 
days, 8.15 a.m.) In winter the cars may run at longer 
intervals and the time of leaving and returning should be 
ascertained from the conductor or the company's office at the 
intersection of this line with that of the N. F. Park R'y. 

* Where no stops are made by the tourist the trip by Electric car from 
the Horseshoe to Queenston takes 55 minutes : from Queenston across the 
bridge to the Junction, 5 minutes more. 




>SI 



49 
Those wishing to reach Lundy's Lane from the Upper Arch 
Bridge may walk or ride up the hill past the ruins of the 
Clifton House, taking the car at Ferry Street. (Niagara 
Falls Central.) 

From the Lower Arch Bridge the car runs up the hill near 
both railroad depots, skirts the edge of Wesley Park^^nd after 
passing Niagara Falls Center runs westward to Drummonds- 
ville (Niagara Falls South.) Alighting where the road turns 
to the left, a walk of two to three minutes directly up the hill 
brings us to the Lundy's Lane battlefield. (See index). The 
old cemetery crowning the hill on the left hand was the 
scene of the principal struggle in that memorable fight, and 
many who fell that day are buried there. The location of 
the battery and other points of interest are marked by 
wooden sign-boards. Across the road is a steel Observation 
Tower, from which a panorama of the Falls and battle field 
may be seen. (Elevator not running in 1900. It is unoffi- 
cially reported that it will be equipped with electric power 
and used during the Pan-American Exposition, 190L) Din- 
ner or lunch may be obtained at the hotels if desired. 
(Page n.) 

From Drummondsville the electric car takes us in four 
minutes to the end of the line. At the terminus we look 
down upon Falls View Station of the Michigan Central R. R., 
and obtain another magnificent View of the Canadian Rapids, 
Horseshoe Fall and the gorge below. (All passenger trains 
of the M. C. R. R. stop here and allow travellers to 
alight.) 

The stone building nearest the station is the Loretto Con- 
vent. Beyond this and on the same side is the Monastery and 
Hospice conducted by the Carmelite Order. The Hospice is 
lighted and heated by electricity, and all the cooking is done 
by the same agency. Guests are received for rest or retreat 
if furnished with proper recommendations. Information 
may be obtained at the cottage reached by a bridge span- 
ning the M. C. R. R. tracks. 



50 
(J) Loweif ArcK Bridge to the WKirlpool. 

It is recommended to walk out upon the Steel Arch Bridge 
(fee ten cents) for the excellent view of the Whirlpool 
Rapids — three-quarters of a mile long. The water in the 
swiftest part below is estimated by Gilbert at about 35 feet 
deep. Under the Cantilever Bridge its measured depth is 75 
feet. The outlook up and down the river presents cer- 
tain aspects not easily seen elsewhere, and which well re- 
pay the outlay of time and money. 

A short distance below the bridge on the right hand is 
the entrance to the Inclined Railway, where descent may be 
made by a track 300 feet long to the edge of the rapids 
below (fare 50 cents). A plank walk skirts the rapids for 
some distance and practically controls the only Near View 
of them from the Canadian side. In the middle of 
the stream the water is slightly higher than at the shore, 
due, it is thought, to the reflection of waves from the 
opposite banks. 

Returning to the entrance we walk northward past the 
end of the Inclined Railway enclosure, and obtain the best 
View of the Rapids from the top of the bank. The gorge is 
here 750 to 850 feet wide. 

GEOLOGICAL: The hard, grey band of rock seen at 
the top of the opposite bank is the Niagara Limestone 
underlaid by a darker and softer stratum, the Niagara 
Shale. Below this is a narrower stratum of hard rock, 
the Clinton Limestone, with a layer, one to three feet 
thick, of greenish Clinton Shale under it. The reddish 
sandstones and shales extending from this down to the 
railroad track belong to the upper part of the Medina. 
The strata occur in the same relative position on both sides 
of the gorge through its entire extent. Owing to the fact 
that the rocks are inclined, or dip, to the south, the 
Clinton passes below the water near the UpperArch Bridge, 
and for the same reason lower strata appear in sight below 
the Whirlpool. 




1 

I Niagara 
I Limestone 

J 

1 



Niagara 
Shale 



Clinton 
Limestone 



Medina 
Sandstone 



/. P. Bishop, Photo. 
GEOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE GORGE, OPPOSITE THE RAPIDS. 
American Side. 



53 

After crossing the little stream which falls over the cliff, 
a gravel pit is seen in the field on the left hand. This con- 
tains fluviatile shells like those referred to elsewhere (pages 
26 and. 32). 

From the rapids the electric car in five minutes, or a walk 
of one-half hour, takes you to the whirlpool Stops are 
regularly made at the upper and lower ends, but passengers 
will be set down or taken on at almost any point upon signal 
to the conductor. If the visitor makes but one of the two 
stops the lower is preferable. The car skirts the edge of 
the bank, crosses Boivman's Creek on a high steel bridge 
(distant view of the rapids) and stops at the Whirlpool Sta- 
tion. A path from the rear leads to the rustic shelter over- 
looking the Whirlpool at its outlet. The gorge is here 900 feet 
wide at the top, and 400 feet at the bottom. On the 
opposite side are the grounds of the DeVeauz College. 
The Gorge Electric Railway rounds the base of the cliff 
below. 

The water after its tumultuous passage through the rapids 
pours into the whirlpool basin, impinges upon the opposite 
bank, turns to the left and follows the shore back nearly to 
the point of entrance. The waters become heaped up here, 
dive under the incoming stream almost at right angles and 
escape by the outlet. In the eddy near the center of the 
pool, logs, boards and other objects float for weeks to- 
gether, nowsuckeddownby the outgoing currents or return- 
ing again to the surface by a ''boiler" from below. The 
bodies of those who have been drowned above the Falls, 
becoming distended with gases, usually rise in the whirlpool 
and are recovered after having been tossed upon its bosom 
for several days. Good geologists believe the pool to be 200 
feet deep. 

Descent to the whirlpool may be made by a path leading 
down the bank from the railway tracks about 150 yards west 
of the whirlpool station. A second path descends from the 
west end of the steel bridge across Bowman's Creek. A 




D3 



I 



.^^ 




55 
third starts nearly opposite the Whirlpool. Following the 
last, which is steep and difficult, we cross in a few minutes 
a small stream which makes a fall 12 to 15 feet over the 
Clinton Limestone. The final descent at the bottom is by 
means of a ladder which spans a portion of the Quartzose 
Sandstone, also seen near the w^ater's edge at the outlet 
opposite. 

On the left bank of Bowman's Creek, at its mouth, is an 
exposure of stratified gravels and clays, probably an old delta 
deposit. Its only interest lies in its possible connection 
with the history of the old St. David's Channel. (See below). 

Although the scenery which is reached by this descent is 
beautiful and picturesque, it will hardly repay, except in the 
case of those fond of climbing, the labor involved in getting 
to and from it. This is more especially evident when we 
consider how easily the Whirl pool is reached from the Amer- 
ican side. 

Ascending by the same route the path divides a short dis- 
tance above the water. Following the right hand branch 
we reach the top at the west end of the steel bridge over 
Bowman's Creek. 

(K) TKe St. David's Gorge. 

GEOLOGICAL : Striae and other marks of glaciation are 
seen on the rocks along the landward side of the path by 
which we have just ascended. Similar markings are also 
found on rock in place on the same side of Bowman's Creek 
above the iron bridge, the last rock exposure being where a 
lateral stream falls into the gorge about one-quarter mile 
above that structure. To see the ground in a satisfactory 
way from the Whirlpool to St. David's, it is necessary to go 
on foot. From the iron bridge to the head of Bowman's 
Creek the left bank is the easier traveling, the other the 
more interesting. After reaching the head of the creek, 
follow the highway to the left as far as the railroad, then 
proceed northwestward along the tracks. About two miles 



further on, before reaching the escarpment are immense 
beds of gravel. The trip is a hard tramp and of no special 
interest except to those interested in glacial geology. 

(L) From tKe Whirlpool to Niagara Glen, 

Is a ride of two to three miles by trolley. Alighting at 
the platform which serves as the Glen station descend the 
first terrace and take the right hand path at the fork. The 
plateau upon which you now are is Wintergreeii Flat. A 
walk of one or two minutes along the brink takes you to the 
top of a stairway. About 100 feet north is a precipice over 
which the river once made a fall when cutting its way back- 
ward. The low plain at the base of the cliff is Foster' § Flat. 
We descend by the substantial stairway nearly to the base 
of the Niagara Limestone. In the loose sand at the base of 
the cliff on the right are numerous small conical pits, the 
traps of ant lions. The path zig-zags downward to a second 
stairway, at the foot of which the path forks. The left hand 
branch winds down to the flat below among huge fragments 
fallen from the overhanging cliff. Following the right hand 
path a walk of a minute takes you to another stairway span- 
ning the Clinton Limestone, and thence downward to the river 
bank where are picnic grounds and shelter. Paths extend 
up and down the river, which is here very swift, or branch in 
various directions through the woods. From the picnic 
grounds a path on the right hand leads up stream. Follow- 
ing this for about one-quarter of a mile a branch descends 
on the left to a Spring of good, cold water. The main path- 
way continues on toward the cove above, passing on the way 
a number of pot holes formed by stones moved by gyratory 
currents when the river was at a higher stage. The Niagara 
Glen is the wildest and most romantic spot in the whole 
gorge, or perhaps even in Western New York. Since the 
Park Commissioners have made it accessible it is fast grow- 
ing in popularity, and in a few days will be as well known 
as any part of Niagara. 



58 
BOTANICAL: The park contains many plants not very 
common in the vicinity of Niagara, and is particularly rich 
in ferns. A list of the flora found on the Victoria Park 
Keservation may be had by applying to the Super- 
intendent at his office. Day's list of plants growing near 
Niagara will be found in the 14th Annual Report, Commis- 
sioners New York State Reservation at Niagara, 1896-7. It 
may be obtained from the Superintendent at Prospect Park. 







Pill' 


^S^"?::^P^:., ^^ 







/. p. Bishop, Photo. 
GEOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE GORGE FROM FOSTER'S FLATS. 

G. K. Gilbert supposes that when the Falls had receded to 
Wintergreen Flat the greater volume of water flowed near 
the American bank, where, in consequence, recession was 
more rapid. The thinner stream flowing near the Canadian 
side was insufficient to remove the blocks of limestone as 
they fell from the cliff, and therefore we find them scattered 
about at the base on Foster's Flats. After a time the 




BROCK'S MONUMENT. 



Koon:^, Photo. 



eo 
erosion upon the eastern side deepened the river bed and 
left Wintergreen Flat dry. While this work was in progress, 
the conditions now existing at the Falls were reversed, the 
larger cataract being upon the American side. 

A few rods north of Wintergreen Flat another path cut in 
the rock descends to the glen below. Rattlesnakes are 
occasionally met near the lower end of this path. 

(M) From Niagara Glen to Qvieer\ston and Lewiston. 

The electric car runs sufficiently near the edge of the bank 
to afford good views of the river. Below Foster's Flats the 
DeviUs Hole Glen is seen across the river, with the stone 
buildings of Niagara University crowning the elevation to 
the left. In front of the University the tracks of the N. 
Y. C. R. R. descend obliquely towards Lewiston. 

The car makes its next stop at Brock's Monument, which is 
reached from the station by the path at the left in two to 
five minutes. The monument marks the tomb of Maj. Gen. 
Sir Isaac Brock, K. B., who was mortally wounded in 
the battle which took place here October 13, 1812. The 
column is of the Roman composite order, with fluted shaft, 
standing upon a square pedestal and surmounted by a statue 
of the hero, the whole structure being 190 feet high. En- 
trance is from the eastern side. A stairway of 235 steps 
ascends to a gallery at the top of the column (fee 25 cents), 
from which a magnificent View is obtained. Those unable 
or unwilling to climb the column will get an almost equally 
good prospect from the escarpment in front of the monu- 
ment. Two hundred and fifty feet below is the river, with 
Queenston at our feet and Lewiston on the opposite side. 
Stretching away to Lake Ontario on the north is a fertile 
plain, the great orchard region of Western New York and 
Canada. 

The final struggle in the Battle of Queenston took place on 
the gentle slope southeast of the monument. In the woods 
back of that structure the old earthworks still remain, 
although much eroded by time. 



62 




/. P. Bishop, Photo. 
REMAINS OF OLD EARTHWORK, NEAR BROCK'S MONUMENT. 



From the bluff in front of the monument a path and stair- 
way descend directly to Queenston. Returning to the elec- 
tric railway station pedestrians may descend by the roadway 
or by a steep and difficult path from the summer house at 
the edge of the gorge beyond. The latter terminates near 
the Suspension Bridge entrance and saves those athletically 
inclined about half a mile of travel. 

The electric car descends to the west along the face of 
the bluff, turns again eastward and enters Queenston. Just 
before reaching the village we pass on the left a low Monu- 
ment erected by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, in 1860, and 
marking the spot where Gen. Brock was shot. At the vil- 
lage one branch of the railway descends to the steamboat 
wharf, where connections are made with the Toronto steam- 
ers (page 74) and the Lewiston ferry, while the other branch 
continues onward to the Suspension Bridge. 



63 

Queenston, next to Niagara-on-the-Lake the oldest town 
on the Canadian side, was at one time of considerable impor- 
tance as the beginning of the portage from the lower river 
to Chippewa. At present it is much frequented in summer 
by residents of the cities who come here for rest and 
angling. The two hotels, the Monument House ($1.00 
to $2.00 per day), and the Prospect House, same price, are 
small and unpretentious but neat and good. Passengers by 
electric car wishing to reach the hotels should ask the con- 
ductor to be set down at the nearest crossing, from which the 
hotels may be reached in one to two minutes. 

We cross the Suspension Bridge (customs and fares, page 
15), a short distance beyond which is the Junction where we 
transfer to Lewiston or return to the Falls by the Great 
Gorge Route. 

(N) From Le>viston or Queenston to Niagara Falls by the Gorge 
Electric Railway. Rvinning Tinne 40-50 Minvites. 

Cars from Lewiston stop at the Junction for Canadian 
transfers, and then proceed southward, passing under the 
new Suspension Bridge. Just before reaching FishJs Creek, 




I. p. ■'Biskop. Photo. 
LOOKING UP THE GORGE, FROM LEWISTON. 



64 
which makes a pretty fall on the left, we pass the site of Old 
Ft. Gray which stood at the top of the bluff above. The 
river now becomes more turbulent and we soon have on our 
right the DeviVs Bole Rapids, extending to the DevWs Hole, 
where the first stop is . made. From the station a path 
ascends to the glen. The Devil's Pulpit, the scene of the British 
massacre in 1763 (page 88), overhangs the gorge above. 

The Upper Devil's Hole Rapids extend from the Devil's 
Hole upward nearly to the Whirlpool. Near the upper end 
we pass Giant Rock, a huge fragment fallen from the cliff 
above and menacing the traveler from the river side. 
Across the river are Foster's Flats (page 57). 

A little farther on we pass Ongiara Park, a pretty sylvan 
retreat, and arrive at the Whirlpool (p. 53), where a stop 
is desirable. Opposite is the mouth of Bowman's Creek, 
the supposed entrance to the former St. David's Channel. 

At the edge of the Whirlpool is an outcrop of the Quart- 
zose Sandstone, with the higher strata seen in the walls of 




GIANT ROCK. 



/. p. Bishop, Photo. 



65 
the gorge near the outlet. Above the Whirlpool we reach 
the rushing waters of the Whirlpool Rapids tumbling down- 
wards with irresistible force and grandeur. They increase 
in fury and impetuosity as we proceed up-stream, reaching 
their climax near the Rapids Station, where a stop is advised. 
At night in summer the water is illuminated by colored 
electric lights, forming a scene of wondrous beauty. 

Through the Rapids. 

In 1861, Joel Robinson, with an engineer and assistant, 
piloted the Maid of the Mist, one of the earlier steamers of 
that name, through the Rapids to Lewiston. The trip was 
accomplished in safety, although the boat suffered some 
injury. On August 28, 1887, C. A. Perry of Suspension 
Bridge, N. Y., made the passage of the Rapids to the Whirl- 
pool in a life-boat of special construction which he had him- 
self made. R. W. Flack, of Syracuse, attempted the same 
feat in July following, but was drowned. A successful pas- 
sage was made July 12, 1900, by Capt. Nissen of Chicago. 
His boat, ''The Fool Killer" had a length of 24 feet with a 
4-foot beam, and was provided with six air compartments. 
His idea of the boat seems to have been a misnomer. Sev- 
eral people have also safely passed through the rapids in 
strong casks built specially for the purpose. 

In July, 1883, Captain Matthew Webb, who had previously 
swum across the English Channel, lost his life while attempting 
to swim the rapids. His body was recovered a few days later 
at Lewiston. A Bostonian named Kendall, in 1886, managed 
by the aid of a life preserver, to get through alive, though 
much exhausted. Notwithstanding his success, swimming 
the rapids has not yet become a popular form of amusement. 

Leaving the Rapids station, the car passes under the Steel 
Arch and Cantilever bridges and climbs the bank to the top. 
At the car sheds we pass the spot where Blondin performed 
his famous feats on a rope stretched across the gorge in 
1859-60. From here we return to the depots and Prospect 
Park. 



67 

(O) American Side. Niagara Falls to Svispervsiorv Bridge arvd 

from Suspension Bridge to Devil's Hole. 

Electric cars leave Prospect Park every fifteen minutes ; 
returning, leave Suspension Bridge at same intervals ; run- 
ning time, about ten minutes ; fare, five cents each way. 
Transfers from Buffalo, via electric cars, good on this line. 

Electric cars for Whirlpool Rapids and Devil's Hole leave 
the terminus near the Cantilever bridge every half hour ; 
fare, five cents; running time to Devil's Hole, about ten 
minutes. It is well for the tourist to make this excursion 
leisurely. Leaving the car at the Suspension Bridge termi- 
nus, turn to the left down the hill under Cantilever Bridge, 
one block to Whirlpool street, along this one block to the 
right, and again turn to the left to the Steel Arch Bridge 
entrance. An Elevator near the Cantilever Bridge takes 
passengers down to the rapids. Pass out upon the bridge 
for a view of the Whirlpool Rapids and the gorge above. 
Ticket, ten cents, good both ways. (The tourist may, if 
he wishes, cross the bridge and get view from the Canadian 
side also.) 

Returning, pass north down Whirlpool street either one or 
two blocks, turn to the left and reach the brink of the 
gorge. (Second street the Cleaner.) This view is essen- 
tially the same as from the bridge, but gives a distant 
glimpse of the Whirlpool. Returning to Whirlpool street, 
continue north to end of the walk, turn to the left one block 
to the Buttery Rapids Elevator, by means of which descent 
may be made to the rapids below (fee 50 cents). Returning 
to Whirlpool street take electric car to De Veaux College 
(two to three minutes) or walk in ten minutes, following the 
route of the car line. A plank walk and roadway lead to 
the left through the college grounds to the Whirlpool. 
Ticket office and bazaar at the end of the walk. Admission 
50 cents. 

The grounds fronting the Whirlpool are leased by De 
Veaux College to Miller and Brundage. Tourists patronizing 



68 
their carriages are sold tickets to view the Whirlpool or 
the Whirlpool Rapids at half rates, twenty-five cents each. 
The view here is good but not equal to that seen from the 
Canadian side. 

Whirlpool. American Side, to Devil's Hole. 

From the Whirlpool a pleasant path leads along the top 
of the gorge to the Devil's Hole, giving a continuous view 
of the river and Foster's Flats (Canadian side) on the way 
(one-half to three-quarters of an hour). The electric car 
from the entrance of the college grounds takes you to the 
same destination in about five minutes. 

The Devil's Hole. 

The building at the terminus has a restaurant at the 
southern entrance (Michael Glor, proprietor. Drinks, warm 
meals or lunch. Fish frys and chowders on Sundays.) 
From the bazaar at the north entrance a winding stairway 
(fee ten cents) descends. From the foot of this a path fol- 
lows the base of the cliff on the right to the DeviVs Hde, a 



^ 


i^.. :il.|^4|||^^M|||^i|I^M^^^H 




, - ^ - •%" '^-^^^^Si 


^^^^HB^^. '"'^^ X 


W']. ■ 



DEVIL'S PULPIT. 



Koon:i[, Photo. 



69 

cave extending back into the limestone, through which a 
small spring of cold water issues. Farther on, the path 
emerges upon a platform from which a good view of the gorge 
is seen, and then winds down on the left to the electric rail- 
way below. 

The side gorge, in which the hole occurs, was formed by 
the erosion of Bloody Run, which formerly made a fall here. 
The Hole is a cave in the limestone eroded by a small under- 
ground stream. The rock cut of the N. Y. C. R. R., a few 
rods to the east, has diverted the water, which formerly 
flowed through here, leaving the fall and cave nearly dry. 

From the rock platform ''The Devil's Pulpit," in the rear 
of the restaurant, is a fine view of the gorge in both direc- 
tions, and of Foster's Flats, the low-lying area on the Cana- 
dian side at the left hand. The pulpit is supposed to be the 
scene of the British massacre in 1763 (page 88). The stone 
buildings of the Niagara University are seen on the right to 
the north overlooking the river and gorge. 

(P) Geological Cxc^irslon from Devil's Hole to Le^viston. 

From the restaurant follow the walk north across the 
bridge over the railroad tracks to the quarry. A difficult 
path at the northern end winds down to the quarry and the 
railroad tracks. The limestone contains a few nodules of 
gypsum and calcite with some poor fossils difficult to extract. 
An easier path may be found further on opposite the Niag- 
ara University. Turn to the left at the hand-ball grounds 
(recognized by a high board screen), where a path descends 
to the railroad tracks, emerging at the base of the Niagara 
Limestone near a flagman's shelter. In the face of the cliff 
nearly opposite the shelter is a small cave from which a 
stream of water emerges in wet seasons. Passing north the 
Niagara Shale appears below the limestone and is seen higher 
and higher in the wall of the gorge. About twenty rods south 
of the second flagman's shelter, where a small sluice crosses 
the track, the Clinton Limestone a firm compact rock, appears 



70 
at the surface and has been quarried on the lower side of the 
track. The underlying green Clinton Shale is seen a short 
distance further on. The Niagara Shale overlying the Clin- 
ton, here contains beautiful specimens of the crinoid Caryo- 
crinus ornatus for which the gorge is famous. The best 



\m 




Original. I. P. Bishop, Photo. 

CRINOID HEAD— Carj'ocrimis oniatiis. Natural Size. 



horizon for this fossil is included in the six feet of rock just 
above the Clinton, although good specimens occur anywhere 
in the shale. As the rock disintegrates, specimens are loos- 
ened and fall to the track. Several forms of corals and 
many species of brachiopods are also abundant. 




Original. 



I. P. Bishop, Photo. 



ARTHROPHYCUS HARLANI. 



71 

The third flagman's shelter may be known by the small 
evergreen growing on the rock in the rear. Just south of 
this the upper grey sandstone of the Medina Group is at the sur- 
face, and opposite the shelter is about three or four feet 
from the ground. Below it are seen the green and red mot- 
tled shales and sandstones of the Medina Group. The base of 
the upper grey band is very rich in the so-called Medina 
Fucoid, Arthrophycus Harlani, which is now believed to be 
the track of an invertebrate, as the relief forms all depend 
from the lower surface of the slab. Other markings, be- 
lieved to be remains of plants, also occur. The red sand- 
stone and the shales below contain a few orthoceratites and 
numerous brachiopods. Excellent markings showing varie- 
ties of beach action are also visible on the sandstones. 

One-fourth mile further on a small stream makes a pretty 
fall over the side of the gorge, and haiS excavated a side 
ravine. A similar excavation, larger than the first, is also 
seen near the last flagman's shelter. The watchman, Mr. J. 
McCormick, has usually a few crinoid heads and other fossils 
for sale. Beyond the last shelter we pass through the tun- 
nel, and turning to the left follow a path which leads along 
the bluff overlooking the Suspension Bridge. The gray sand- 
stone, upon which the bridge is anchored, is the Quartzose 
Sandstone of Hall or the Lower Gray Medina Sandstone, 
which underlies Western New York, and is the reservoir for 
natural gas in Erie County. 

The path continues along the edge of the bluff and descends 
to the electirc railway tracks at the northwest angle. The 
red shales of the Medina form the banks of the river to 
Lewiston. 

The foregoing trip is the favorite one with geologists inter- 
ested in fossils or in the stratigraphy of the gorge, because 
in the course of two hours fresh surfaces of all the strata com- 
posing the walls can be inspected with a minimum of labor. 

From the railroad station at Lewiston a road leads east- 
ward up the hill, and forms the principal street of the 




/. p. Bishop, Photo. 
A BIT OF THE ANCIENT IROQUOIS BEACH, LEWISTON. 

village. It is located upon the ancient Iroquois Beach, locally 
known as the ''Ridge Road," which has been traced from 
here to the Adirondacks, and marks the southern boundary 
of a glacial lake having its outlet through the Mohawk Val- 
ley at Rome, N. Y. The contour of the beach may be seen 
wherever a street intersects it. The gravel pits in the bluff 
below the N. Y. C. R. R. station are deposits formed by the 
same agency. 

Return to the Falls bv Electric Cars or N. Y. C. R. R. 



Lewiston. 



Arrival: Trolley lines from Niagara Falls and Youngs- 
town and steam cars of the N. Y. C. K. R. set passengers 
down at the steamboat dock. The R. W. & 0. station is 
nearly a mile east of the town, but the mail carrier usually 
transfers passengers. Steamers of the Niagara Navigation 
Co. from Toronto touch here and at Queenston five times a 
day, connecting with electric and steam cars for Buffalo. 
A Steam Ferry (fare ten cents, round trip fifteen cents) 
plies almost continually between Lewiston and Queenston, 
which are also connected by trolley line across the bridge. 

Hotels: The Cornell, 25 rooms, $2.00 per day. Well 
spoken of. The Angler's Retreat, 13 rooms, $1.50 per 
day. Also well spoken of. The St. Elmo, 8 rooms, meals 
forty cents, bed fifty cents. All the above near steamboat 
and railway termini. Wagnefs Hotel, $2.50 to $4.00 
per day, a new summer hotel, commanding a fine view of the 
entrance to the gorge, Queenston and the river, is about ten 
minutes' walk from the station. Gorge Route cars pass the 
door. The Frontier House, located in the village about five 
minutes' walk east of the steamboat landing:, $2.00 per day ; 
$7.00 to $10.00 per week. Accommodates about fifty guests. 
Built of stone in 1825, and of considerable historic interest. 
At one time it was the finest hotel west of Albany. Webster 
once held court in it, and it has also sheltered many of the 
most famous men of the United States. Well spoken of. 

Lewiston, population 500-600, named after Governor 
Lewis of New York, is beautifully situated on a plain where 
the waters of Niagara leave the gorge. Lying at the foot 
of the portage between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, it was 

fi 73 



74 
for a long time the most important town on the Niagara 
frontier, and got the most of the traffic arising from travel 
to and from the upper lakes. La Salle's Stockade (page 
87) is supposed to have been located near the present ferry 
landing. An old tramway, probably the first railway in 
America, had its lower terminus near the N. Y. C. R. R. 
tunnel on the southern edge of the village. It extended to 
the top of the bluff near the site of Fort Gray. The oldest 
house is that of Mrs. Wheeler, situated on the bluff on the 
left-hand side of the road leading up from the ferry. It 
was built by Major Benjamin Barton in 1815 on the site of 
an old log house of still earlier date. The novelist Cooper 
is said to have written ''The Spy" in a hotel which 
stood on the left hand side of the main street where it 
crosses the N. Y. C. R. R. The site is now occupied by a 
blacksmith shop. The Lewiston Academy, standing at the 
end of the same street, was built in 1826, and was long one 
of the leading educational institutions of Western New 
York. 

(Q) Excvirsiorvs from Le^visto^v. 

To Torontohy the Niagara Navigation Company's steamers 
in about three hours. Fare $1.25, with cheaper excursions 
in summer. An exceedingly pleasant trip in hot weather. 
To Young stown and Fort Niagara by carriage or bicycle, a 
ride of six or seven miles over a good road, commanding a 
view of the river, and passing through the greatest orchard 
region in the State. To Youngstown and Fort Niagara by the 
Lewiston and Youngstown Frontier Railway. Fare twenty 
cents. Round trip, thirty-five cents. Cars start from near 
the N. Y. C. station every half hour during summer, and at 
longer intervals in winter, carrying both passengers and 
freight. Running time to Youngstown, fifteen to twenty 
minutes. The car runs for a distance through the principal 
street of Lewiston, turns to the left and traverses an open 
country rich in orchards of apple, pear and peach. The road 
terminates near the shore of Lake Ontario, where there is a 



75 

summer resort and picnic ground. The principal object of in- 
terest is Old Fort Niagara, and the tourist is advised to see 
that first, returning to Youngstown afterward. The barracks 
and other buildings for the care of the garrison are of modern 
construction and devoid of interest. At present (1901) only 
a detail of soldiers is stationed there as caretakers. The old 
fort, of brick and earth construction, lies in the angle between 
the river and lake. The principal gateway is on the river side. 
Entering the enclosure, the old Powder Magazine, a white- 
washed structure is seen on the right, with the abandoned 
Officers' Quarters beyond. Still farther on is the Blockhouse, 
said to be the building in which Morgan, of anti-masonic noto- 
riety, was confined. Another blockhouse is seen at the farther 
corner, near the lake. Nearly in front is the Old French Castle, 
built in 1728, with the bakery and kitchen near its western 
angle. At the end of the hall leading westerly from the 
main entrance of the castle, is a dungeon in which execu- 
tions are said to have taken place. Entrance to the rifle 
pits may be gained near the blockhouse at the northeast 
corner. 

Outside the fort, and not far from the southwest corner, 
we pass a military cemetery in which is a monument to the 
soldiers who fell in the War of 1812. Return to Youngs- 
town may be made on foot in ten to fifteen minutes, or quicker 
by trolley. 

Youngstown, 

Population about 600, has two hotels, the Eldorado, $2.00 
to $2.50 per day, $10.00 to $12.00 per week, and the Ontario 
House, $1.50 per day, $5.00 to $7.00 per week. The former 
accommodates 100, the latter about 50 guests. 
' Both Lewiston and Youngstown are very popular summer 
resorts for residents of Buffalo, who find here quiet and 
restful surroundings. Youngstown is connected by steam 
ferry with Niagara-on-the-Lake, where steamer for Lewiston 
or Toronto may be taken. 



76 
Niagara-on-the-Lake, 

On the Canadian side opposite Youngstown and Fort 
Niagara, has a population of about 2,000, and is known 
principally as a summer resort. The large QiieerCs 
Royal Hotel ($4.00 per day, $15.00 to $35.00 per 
week), is open only in summer. Long's Hotel is open 
all the year. Both are well spoken of. The remains of 
Fort George can be seen just south of the town, and a 
fort is still maintained on the site of Fort Massassauga 
at the mouth of the river. St. Mark's Church, built in 
1802, with an old cemetery adjacent, is of interest to the 
tourist. 

In addition to steamboat communication, the town is 
reached by cars of the Michigan Central Railroad. 

From Buffalo to Niagara Falls. 

As the greater number of tourists who visit Niagara pass 
through Buffalo, that city is taken as the starting point of the 
following itineraries. Points and times of departure are 
arranged for those stopping in the principal hotel district. 
Those who leave from the Exposition grounds by electric car 
can reach Prospect Park in one hour. To reach the 
steamer docks at the foot of Ferry Street (page 85) 
from the same place will require 15 to 20 minutes. 
The principal railroads will have entrance to the Ex- 
position grounds, but their time-tables should be con- 
sulted. 

To Niagara by Electric Car. 

The yellow electric cars of the International Traction 
Co. leave the corner of Main Street and the Terrace. 
Between 6.08 and 7.38 a. m. the cars are run at 
intervals of thirty minutes; from that time until 6.53 
p. m. at intervals of fifteen minutes (ten minutes in 
summer); from 6.53 p. m. until 11.30 p. m. at inter- 
vals of thirty minutes. During Pan-American five- 
minute cars will be run during the busy part of the 



77 
day, and the right service will probably be made more 
frequent. As the time tables are liable to frequent 
change, inquiry should be made at the Company's office, or 
of the conductors. Time for the trip one hour twenty-two 
minutes. Fare for round trip to Niagara Falls fifty cents ; 
one way, thirty-five cents. Buy tickets of conductor. 
Round trip to Queenston via Niagara Falls Park & River Rail- 
way, $1.00. Round trip, Buffalo to LewistonYia Great Gorge 
Route, $1.25. The Great Belt Line trip, Buffalo to Niagara 
Falls across upper steel arch bridge to Canadian Horseshoe 
Falls, Queenston, Suspension Bridge to Lewiston, Great Gorge 
railroad to Niagara Falls and Buffalo, $1.50. The last tour 
skirts the whole of the Niagara Gorge in view of the prin- 
cipal points of interest, and is the finest trip of its length 
in the world. During the Pan-American cars to Niagara 
Falls will be run direct from the Exposition grounds, leaving 
probably by the North terminus The left-hand side of the 
car affords the best view along the route. Time from Expo- 
sition grounds to Prospect Park, Niagara Falls, about one 
hour. 

Leaving the corner of Main street and the Terrace, the 
car passes up Main street and turns into Niagara street, 
which it follows for about 20 minutes. In about twelve 
minutes we pass through the pretty little Prospect Park, 
beyond which, on the right, is the 74:th Regiment 
Armory, built of brown stone. Two blocks to the left 
is the Front, a park overlooking Lake Erie and the head 
of the Niagara River. Adjoining it is Fort Porter, 
garrisoned by United States troops. At Ferry street 
is a steam ferry to Fort Erie, which may be seen across 
the river. 

Farther on at Black Rock we cross Scajaquada Creek, and 
see below the International Bridge of the Grand Trunk Rail- 
road, built in 1873 and costing $1,500,000. 

After leaving the City we reach in about fifteen minutes 
Tonawanda (population 7,421), separated by Tonawanda 



78 
Creek and the Erie Canal from North Tonawanda (population 
9,069), the two towns constituting one of the largest lumber 
ports in the world. (Best hotel here, the Sheldon House, 
North side.) The road zig-zags through the suburbs and a 
little later crosses the New York Central Railroad on a high 
trestle, from which a fine view of the river may be seen. 
Across the river on Grand Island is Edgewater, a summer 
resort. Ferry to Edgewater in summer from foot of trestle. 
A little higher up opposite Tonawanda was the scene of Maj. 
Noah's attempt to a found city of refuge for the Jews 
(page 92). 

The road now follows the river. Before reaching LaSalle 
we cross an unfinished canal, an abortive attempt to convey 
water for power purposes to ''Model City," near Lewiston. 
Beyond the canal, in the little creek on the left as we reach 
the village, LaSalle is said to have built the "Griffon" in 
1679 (page 85). 

We next traverse a tract rich in orchards and approach 
the Power District of Niagara Falls, a new suburb created 
by the recent development of industries dependent upon 
electrical and water power. 

Just before we pass under the tracks of the Terminal 
Railway we see on the left the works of the Oldhury 
Electro-Chemical Co., manufacturers of chemicals (no visitors 
allowed). Beyond the crossing, on the same side, is the 
factory of the Roberts Chemical Co., making potash and acids. 
Across the railroad tracks on the right are the Union Carbide 
Works, the largest manufacturers of calcium carbide in 
America. The product is used for making acetylene gas, 
the new illuminant whose light-giving power is claimed to 
be twenty times that of ordinary coal gas. (No visitors 
allowed). We next pass on the river side Schlossefs Dock, 
back of Echota Station, the scene of the Caroline incident 
(page 93). 

We see beyond, on the same side, another group of large 
buildings. The first is that of the Electro Lamp Co. which 



79 

prepares Calcium Carbide for bicycle and portable acetylene 
lamps. Adjoining is the factory of the Niagara Electro 
Chemical Co., makers of metallic sodium and sodium peroxide. 
(No visitors). The Mathieson Alkali Works, caustic soda and 
bleaching powder, come next with the upper works of the 
Pittsburgh Reduction Co. beyond. The same company has 
another large factory at the lower end of the Power Canal, 
the two together making as much aluminum in one day as 
was made in the whole world in the entire year of 1885. It 
is practically the only manufactory of this metal m the 
United States and the largest in the world. (No admission). 




ELECTRIC FURNACE— Carborundum Works. 

The Niagara Carborundum Works adjacent make car- 
borundum (silicon carbide) under the Acheson patents. It 
is next to the diamond in hardness and now has a wide range 
of uses as an abrasive. The company issues a neat pamphlet, 
illustrating their processes and the various forms of their 



80 
product (to be had on application). Next beyond the 
Acheson Graphite Co. makes graphite and carbons for elec- 
trolytic processes. (No visitors). The old chimney of For^ 
Little Niagara (page 86) may be seen in the rear. Litharge 
^nd red lead are made by the Electric Lead Reduction Co., 
next door. (No visitors). 

All the foregoing industries use electricity, not only 
as a motive power, but as the chemical or mechanical 
agent for making their various products. With the fac- 
tories depending upon the power canal it forms prob- 
ably the greatest group of electro-chemical industries in 
the world. 




CK.ielson, Photo. 
POWER AND TRANSFORMER HOUSES— Niagara Falls Power Co. 

Next we pass the stone Power and Transformer Houses of 
the Niagara Falls Power Co. at the head of the great 
tunnel (open to visitors 9 a. m. to 5.30 p. m. week days, 
10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Sundays). Admission to gallery ten 
cents, to floor and wheel pit, with guide twenty-five cents. 
Fees to endow employees beds at Niagara Memorial 
Hospital. The huge mill of the International Paper Co., 
one of the largest paper manufacturies in America (No 
visitors) is the last important building before we cross the 



81 




TRANSFORMERS— Niagara Falls Power Co. 

Hydraulic Canal, whence the car passes through Erie and 
Falls street to Prospect Park. 

From Buffalo to Niagara Falls by Steam Cars. 

New York Central Railroad trains leave the Exchange 
street Station for Niagara Falls at intervals of about an hour, 
from 6.20 a. m. until 11.45 p. m. week days, and until 9.10 
p. m. Sundays. Nearly all trains stop also at the Terrace 
Station (reached from Main street by West Swan street), 
Ferry street and Black Rock. (Time tables obtained at stations 
should be consulted, as train program is liable to change). 

From the Exchange and Terrace Stations the train runs 
to the shore of Lake Erie, which it follows for a short dis- 
tance, giving a brief view of the harbor and breakwater. 
The large yellow building on the pier at the left is the 
quarters of the Buffalo Yacht Club. Before reaching the 
bridge across the canal the Front Park is seen on the bluff 
to the right, and near it the grounds of Fort Porter, 



83 
distinguished by a flag pole. Across the river, where it leaves 
the lake, are the ruins of Fort Erie. Beyond the bridge we 
pass next the brick buildings of the Pumping Station, con- 
taining among others two of the largest pumping engines 
in the world. From Ferry street, the next station, the 
route is near that of the Electric railway, for itinerary of 
which see page 76. 

Six trains for Niagara Falls by the Erie Railroad leave the 
Station on Exchange street between 7.15 a. m. and 8.30 p. 
m. For time of leaving time cards should be consulted. 
The Erie road passes through the eastern part of the City, 
northv/ard as far as Tonawanda, whence it parallels the New 
York Central Railroad to the Falls. From Tonawanda the 
itinerary of the electric road will serve. 

The Lehigh Railroad runs six trains daily to Niagara Falls 
between 6.35 a. m. and 10 p. m. Trains leave the Station 
at Scott and Washington streets and run eastward nearly to 
Depew, then northward through Williamsville to Tonawanda, 
whence the route is near that of the Erie and Central road. 

From Buffalo to Niagara Falls by Steamer. The Inter- 
national Navigation Co. (office foot of Ferry street, Buffalo) 
will run steamers from May 1st to November 1st, 1901, 
between Buffalo and Slater's Point above Chippewa, on the 
Canadian side. The first boat will leave Ferry street at 
8.00 a. m. and be followed by others hourly until 7.00 p. 
m. or later, if travel warrants. (Boat leaves 9.00 p. m. 
during July and August. ) 

After leaving her dock the steamer heads down stream 
through the draw of the International Bridge and passes 
Black Rock Harbor on the right. A little farther on is 
Strawberry Island, below^ which the river divides, embrac- 
ing Grand Island. Below Strawberry Island 2^ ferry connects 
Grand Island with the American shore. 

The boat follows the left hand or Canadian Channel. The 
shore of the island on the right is enlivened with numerous 
summer hotels, club houses and villas, the temporary homes 



84 
of city people during the hot season. The Canadian shore 
is low and less interesting. Near the northern end of Grand 
Island a narrow channel opens to the right, giving a glimpse 
of Buckhorn Island and Burnt Ship Bay (page 87). We 
keep the channel nearest the Canadian shore. The island on 
the right is Navy Island, the stronghold of the insurgents in 
the Patriot War (page 93). Slater's Point, where we land, 
is on the old battlefield of Chippewa (page 90). Con- 
nections are made here with the electric cars of the Niagara 
Falls Park Railway, or the Horseshoe Falls, and the trip 
around the gorge (page 77). At Queenston connections 
are made with steamers for Toronto. 

If the tourist is not pressed for time, this route is recom- 
mended as being both cool and pleasant. Although the 
scenery on the upper river lacks the grandeur of the Hudson 
or Rhine, it is sufficiently varied to be interesting all the 
way. The time from Buffalo to the Falls is but little 
longer by this route ; and as the visitor is landed above 
the Canadian Rapids he is not obliged to go over the same 
ground twice, and therefore will accomplish quite as much 
in a day as by the other routes. Meals may be conveniently 
taken at the Dufferin Restaurant, Lafayette House, or at 
Niagara Falls North (page 11). 



History. 



The first knowledge of the Niagara region was given to 
the world by the French missionaries and explorers. In his 
''Des Sauvages" published in 1604 Champlain refers to the 
river and Falls and relates what the Indians had told him of 
them and the region beyond. In 1615 Brule, Champlain's 
interpreter, visited the Neuter Indians near the mouth of the 
river and may have been the first white man to see the Falls. 
LaSalle first came to Niagara in 1669. Gallinee, who ac- 
companied him, tells in his journal of the Niagara River and 
of hearing the roar of the Falls. In 1678, LaSalle planned a 
second expedition ; LaMotte, Hennepin and fourteen others 
were sent ahead from Frontenac in a vessel of ten tons, 
while LaSalle followed a few days later. On December 6 
of that year the little brigantine came to anchor in the mouth 
of the Niagara on the point now occupied by Fort Niagara, 
where LaMotte and Hennepin established a trading post 
for traffic with the Indians. Later they sailed up the river, 
and where Lewiston now stands built a cabin fortified by 
palisades for the double purpose of a store house and as a 
means of defense. Here they were joined by LaSalle. 
Taking from his vessel cordage, anchors and ship-builders^ 
tools, he had them transported from the new fort overland, 
a distance of twelve miles, to the mouth of Cayuga Creek. 
Here on the site of the village which bears his name he built 
the Griffon, the first sailing vessel to navigate the waters of 
the Great Lakes. The little ship was completed in 1679, 
and in it LaSalle made his famous voyage westward, crossing 
Lakes Erie and Huron, and reaching Green Bay on Lake 
Michigan. From this place LaSalle and Hennepin proceeded 

85 



86 
to the present site of Chicago, and the Griffon, loaded with 
furs, started to return. But on her way back the little 
vessel was overtaken by the September equinoctial gales and 
foundered somewhere between Washington Island and 
Mackinaw on lake Michigan^ 

The first written description of the Niagara Falls is con- 
tained in Father Hennepin's ''New Discovery" published in 
1697. In this he says that he ''personally visited" the 
Falls in December, 1678, and therefore not long after La- 
Salle's landing at the mouth of the Niagara. He gives a 
brief but vivid description of the cataract, which he thinks 
"above six hundred feet high, " and accompanies it with what 
is probably the first sketch of the Falls ever made. 

The portage road followed by LaSalle soon became the 
established route between Lake Ontario and the Upper 
Niagara River. From the fort where Lewiston now stands 
it passed diagonally up the bluff to the top and thence con- 
tinued south nearly parallel with the river to navigable 
water above the Falls. At the upper end of the portage, 
near the present site of the Acheson Graphite Go's Factory, 
Fort de Portage, afterwards called Little Fort Niagara, was 
built in 1750, with storehouses and barracks adjacent. An 
old stone chimney yet standing still marks the site of the 
latter structure. 

In the great struggle for supremacy in America between 
France and England, lasting from 1744 to 1763, the Niagara 
Frontier became the scene of many sanguinary conflicts. 
Fort Niagara guarded the doorway to the French possessions 
on the Great Lakes, the Ohio and the Mississippi, which were 
a constant menace to the English colonies from the rear. 
On this account it was only second in importance to Quebec, 
and was the goal of several expeditions sent out by one or 
the other nation. LaSalle's original post, erected in 1679, 
was burned within a year, but was rebuilt of stone by De- 
Nonville in 1687, both as a means of defense and for con- 
trolling the fur trade. It was at first called Fort Nonville, 



87 
after the builder, but the name was afterwards changed to 
Fort Niagara, by which title it has been known ever since. 

In 1759 the British, under Gen. Prideaux, came here 
from Oswego with a force of 2,950 men, 750 of whom were 
Indians. Landing about four miles east of the fort he 
proceeded to invest it, throwing up a triple line of intrench- 
ments for the better protection of his men. During the 
siege which followed Gen. Prideaux was killed, and the 
command devolved upon Sir William Johnson, who captured 
the fort and garrison, after a few days' hard fighting. 
Hearing of the fail of Fort Niagara, Joncaire, who was in 
command at Little Fort Niagara, believing that he could not 
hold it against the English, burned the fort and barracks and 
retreated to Chippewa. While the English were beseiging 
Fort Niagara, reinforcements and supplies were sent by the 
French at Venango, Pa., to their friends in the former place. 
The flotilla carrying them reached Navy Island ; but hearing 
of the fall of Fort Niagara, and fearing that the supplies 
might be captured by the English, the French Commander 
took his ships into a small bay on the north side of Grand 
Island and there burned them. From this circumstance the 
spot received the name of Burnt Ship Bay. 

Note. Local tradition places the rendezvous of the French 
not at Navy, but on Buckhorn Island, at the time a peninsula 
connected with Grand Island by a narrow isthmus. Accord- 
ing to this account the French intended to leave their ships 
in comparative safety in the sheltered waters of the cove, 
cross to the mainland below where Tonawanda now is, and 
attack the British at Little Fort Niagara. The English, 
however, anticipated them, by crossing to Grand Island, a 
little higher upstream, and hemming the French in upon the 
northern end of the island. Seeing that he could not ex- 
tricate his ships, the French commander burned them to 
prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. Musket 
bullets, buttons and other articles characteristic of a battle- 
field are picked upon plowed fields at the northern end of 



88 
Grand Island, and are believed to be relics of the fighting 
which accompanied this episode. 

In 1761 Joseph Schlosser built the fort which bore his 
name, about 40 rods east of where Fort Little Niagara 
had stood. 

The Devil's Hole Massacre. 

The success of 1759 gave the British complete control 
of the Niagara Frontier, and practically decided the destiny 
of France in America; but the Seneca Indians, who had 
been allies of the French, remained sullen, and in 1763 
began a campaign against the English. On September 14th 
of that year a wagon train, under military guard, was passing 
between Fort Schlosser and Fort Niagara. As they were 
crossing a small stream about midway between the two 
places, the savages poured a murderous fire upon them from 
ambush, killing a large number, and then rushed upon them 
with the tomahawk and drove the survivors and the frantic 
teams over the precipice. Of the whole company only three 
persons escaped alive. A drummer boy was caught in a tree 
by his belt which broke his fall ; a wounded wagon-driver 
rolled into a thicket, where he was overtaken by the savages ; 
and a third, John Steadman, spurred his horse through the 
Indians and reached Fort Schlosser in safety. Hearing the 
noise of the battle, a detachment of troops stationed at 
Lewiston marched to the relief of their friends and in- 
cautiously fell into the same trap. Of the whole troop only 
eight escaped. The rest were butchered, scalped and their 
bodies thrown over the cliff into the gorge. From the 
sanguinary conflict upon its banks the little stream received 
the name of Bloody Run. 
The War of 1812. The Battle of Queenston Heights. 

Following the declaration of war between Great Britain 
and the United States in 1812, military operations at once 
began along the frontier of Canada, the nearest accessible 
British territory. The first events were disastrous to the 
Americans. In the Upper Lake region. Fort Mackinaw was 




89 
surprised and captured and Hull surrendered Detroit and 
his army to the British General, Isaac Brock, almost without 
a struggle. Early in the autumn of 1812, Gen. Van 
Renssellear collected an army of about 2,500 raw New York 
militia at Lewiston. On October 12 he was joined by a 
force of 450 regulars from Fort Niagara and by Col. Scott's 
regiment from Black Rock. Leaving a part of his forces on 
the American side Van Renssellear, early in the following 
morning, crossed the river under a terrific fire, and with a 
few hundred men captured Queenston Heights in a short 
but spirited battle, in which nearly every commissioned officer 
of the attacking party was either killed or wounded. British 
reinforcements arriving from Fort George, Gen. Brock 
rallied the detached troops, and dividing his force into two 
divisions, attacked at the same time from in front and the 
right flank. The Americans resisted bravely, but were 
finally either killed, captured or driven over the precipice 
into the gorge. Among the captured was Col. Scott, who 
had crossed the river, under a hot fire, to aid his country- 
men. The American militia who had remained on the other 
side, seeing the battle going adversely, became frightened 
and refused to go to the aid of their comrades. Had they 
done so the result might have been different. In leading 
the attack against the heights, Gen. Brock was killed. At 
the foot of the mountain an inscribed stone, set by the Prince 
of Wales in 1860, marks the spot were Brock fell; on 
the heights above a graceful column, towering heavenward, 
attests the appreciation of a grateful country, 

1813. 

On May 27 the combined army and navy force under Gen. 
Dearborn and Commodore Chauncey had assembled at Fort 
Niagara for an attack upon Fort George, which was almost 
opposite upon the Canadian side. Owing to the illness of 
Gen. Dearborn the command devolved upon Col. Scott, who 
a short time before had been a prisoner in Fort George. 
The English were driven out without difficulty, blowing up 



90 
one of the magazines as they left. With the fort the 
village of Newark, then the oldest and most important vil- 
lage on the frontier, fell into the hands of the Americans. 
In a short time the British posts at Chippewa and Fort 
Erie were abandoned, and the Americans held undisputed 
possession of the Niagara from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. 
In December the British again assumed the offensive, and 
compelled the evacuation of Fort George. Gen. McClure, 
who was in command, finding that he could not hold the fort 
against the enemy, blew up the magazine, burned the village 
of Newark and retreated to Fort Niagara. Incensea at the 
destruction of Newark, the British immediately retaliated. 
Ten days later they crossed the river, surprised and captured 
Fort Niagara, and sacked and burned Youngstown, Lewiston 
and the Tuscarora village. Then they marched southward 
and burned Manchester (now Niagara Falls) and Fort 
Schlosser, and devastated the whole frontier. Gen. Riall 
crossed the river above Grand Island, attacked and captured 
Black Rock, and on December 30th, burned the village of 
Buffalo, leaving only four houses standing. 

The Battles of Fort E^rie and Chippewa. 

Early in the year 1814 the American forces, under Gen. 
Brown, were assembled at Buffalo, while the British occupied 
the Canadian side of the river. On July 3d two divisions, 
under Scott and Ripley, crossed the river, and after a short 
engagement captured Fort Erie, with 170 men and seven 
officers. On the following day Scott advanced northward, 
driving before him the British under the Marquis of Tweeddale, 
by whom every step of the way was contested. At dark 
the British crossed Chippewa Creek, resting on the northern 
bank, while Scott's forces lay on the south side of Street's 
Creek. During the night the Americans were reinforced 
by troops under Brown, swelling their number to 1,900, 
while the opposing forces numbered about 2,100. During 
the morning of the 5th only skirmishing was done, with no 
material advantage to either side. About 3 p. m. the 



91 

British advanced in force across the plain between the two 
streams and were met by an impetuous charge from the 
Americans under Scott. The battle, although short, was 
one of the hardest fought of the war. The British were de- 
feated and recrossed the Chippewa to their intrenchments. 

The Battle of Lundy's Lane. 

Two or three days after the battle of Chippewa the 
British retreated to the forts at the head of Lake Ontario, 
where they were heavily reinforced by troops from Kings- 
ton. The Americans, who had followed them as far as 
Queenston returned to Chippewa, hoping that the British 
commander would send a part of his forces in pursuit, and 
thus a battle with the whole at one time might be avoided. 

On the 25th Gen. Brown heard that a large force of the 
enemy had crossed the river at Lewiston to intercept sup- 
plies destined for Fort Niagara. He at once ordered Scott, 
with 1,300 men, to march to Queenston and threaten the 
forts, while he, as soon as he could break camp, would 
follow with the rest of the army. Gen. Brown's informa- 
tion proved to be false; for when Scott reached Lundy's 
Lane, near Niagara Falls, he found the whole British army, 
4,000 strong, with nine pieces of artillery entrenched upon 
high ground. Supposing this to be a detachment of the main 
army, which he had heard to be on the other side of the 
river, Scott boldly attacked and held the British in check 
until Brown arrived. The battle raged from late in the 
afternoon until midnight. By a daring charge the Ameri- 
cans captured the battery and drove the British from the 
feld, holding it against repeated efforts on the part of the 
enemy to recapture it. Both Brown and Scott were wounded 
and had to be carried from the field. The former ordered 
Gen. Ripley to take command and remove the captured 
cannon and the wounded to Chippewa. For some reason the 
field was not properly guarded, and before morning the 
British returned, reoccupied their position and claimed a 
victory. 



92 
The Siege of Fort Erie. 

After the battle of Lundy's Lane the American forces 
occupied Fort Erie and strongly fortified it. On August 
3d the British General Drummond, with 1,100 men, arrived 
and laid siege to the fort. After several unsuccessful at- 
tempts, they succeeded, on the 15th, in scaling the walls and 
getting possession of the outer defenses. Before they could 
make use of the advantage which they had gained, a magazine 
exploded beneath them hurling the men into the air and killing 
a large number. In the confusion which followed the Amer- 
icans made a resolute attack, and the British broke and fled. 

A period of inactivity followed. On September 17 the 
besieged made a sortie, captured the works of the British 
and forced them to abandon the siege. Fort Erie and the 
British entrenchments were dismantled, and the Americans 
returned to their own side of the river. This was the last 
important engagement of the war on the Niagara Frontier. 
The Treaty of Ghent, in December following, restored peace 
to the two countries. 

The Morgan Incident. 

In 1824 William Morgan, a resident of Batavia, N. Y., 
announced his intention of publishing the secrets of the 
Masonic Fraternity, of which organization he was a member. 
He was quietly seized, thrust into a carriage and driven away 
in the direction of the Canadian border. He was traced as 
far as Fort Niagara, where he is said to have been confined 
in one of the magazines. Whether he left the fort or not 
is unknown, but he was never heard of afterward. The 
popular belief is that he was taken from his dungeon by night 
and drowned in the waters of Niagara or Lake Ontario. The 
episode created intense excitement at the time and brought 
on an Anti-Masonic agitation which lasted for many years. 
The Jewish Colonization Scheme. 

In the same year Major Mordecai M. Noah planned to 
build on Grand Island, a ^'Gity of Ararat" as a place of 
refuge for the Jews of the New World. His plan included 



the colonization of the whole island, and the building up of 
an ideal industrial and commercial community for his own 
people. The spot selected for the beginning of this enter- 
prise was at Whitehaven, opposite the village of Tonawanda, 
where the corner stone, previously laid with imposing 
ceremonies on the altar of a Christian church in Buffalo, was 
imbedded in a monument. But the Patriarch of Jerusalem 
refused to sanction the scheme, and Major Noah's plans came 
to nothing. The corner-stone is now in the collection of the 
Buffalo Historical Society. 

The Burning of the Caroline. 

While the Upper Canadian rebellion, known also as the 
patriot war, was in progress in 1837, the leaders of the in- 
surgents established themselves on Navy Island. The Steamer 
Caroline of Buffalo was chartered by them for a ferry boat 
and for carrying visitors to and from Buffalo. Believing 
that the steamer was to be used for offensive operations 
against Canada, the Canadians despatched a picked band of 
men, about forty in all, in five boats to destroy her. Leav- 
ing the Canadian shore December 29, under cover of night, 
they crossed the river and found the Caroline lying at 
Schlosser's Dock on the American side. The crew and about 
twenty-five others who were sleeping on board for lack of 
hotel facilities in the neighborhood, were driven ashore, 
after a short contest, in which one man was killed. The 
Caroline was then set on fire, towed about 200 yards out 
into the stream and turned adrift. She burned to the 
water's edge and sank before reaching the rapids. 

This breach of international law caused great excitement, 
and for a time it was feared that war between England and 
America would be the result. Diplomacy, however, pre- 
vailed, and the matter was satisfactorily settled. 
\ Rope Walkers and Bridge Jumpers. 

Blondin came to Niagara in 1859 with his business manager, 
Harry Calcourt. He gave his first performances on a wire 
cable which was stretched across the Gorge from White's 



94 
Pleasure Ground, about where the car-sheds of the Gorge 
Road now stand At a subsequent exhibition, the cable was 
stretched across the Whirlpool Rapids, just north of the 
present Lower Arch Bridge. Among some of his feats were 
walking across the rope, chained hand and foot ; making the 
passage in the evening; crossing with his feet incased in 
butter tubs ; crossing without a balancing pole ; carrying a 
cooking stove to the middle of the rope, where he stopped 
and cooked an omelette ; turning handsprings, standing on 
his head, or sitting down sideways on the rope two hundred 
feet above the water, and many other equally daring acts. 
His greatest exploit was performed in 1860, when he carried 
Calcourt across the Whirlpool Rapids on his back, in the 
presence of the Prince of Wales. Four times in the course 
of the trip Blondin stopped to rest, each time setting his 
burden down upon the rope and resuming it to continue his 
journey. (For a more complete account of Blondin, see Guide 
to Niagara Falls ^ F. H. Severance page 90, and W. D. Ho wells 
in the Niagara Book, by Underhill & Nichols, page 16. ) 

Since Blondin' s day other walk-ropers have imitated his 
feats with more or less success. In 1873 Bellini crossed on a 
rope stretched from Prospect Park to the opposite side near 
the Ferry Road. He jumped three times from the middle of 
the cable to the river, using a rubber cord twelve feet long 
Peere fastened to the cable to keep him upright. Stephen 
successfully crossed on a wire rope above the old Suspension 
Bridge, in 1878, and also jumped from the wire to the water. 
He was killed by falling over the bank of the Gorge in 1887. 
Samuel Dixon also crossed on the same wire. Madame 
Spellerini and others have made the passage safely at various 
times, but no one achieved the reputation attained by Blondin. 
Other Bridge Junipers. 

In 1886 Lawrence M. Donovan, of New York, jumped 
from the railing of the Upper Suspension Bridge, a distance 
of 200 feet, to the water below. The fall broke one of his 
ribs, but he was rescued and survived. 



Stratigraphy. 



The Niagara River leaves Lake Erie through a break in 
the Corniferous limestone which forms the floor of the lake 
at its eastern end. Beneath the Corniferous are the water- 
lime beds of the upper Salina, crossing the river between 
the water works and the International Bridge. From the 
latter place to the rapids the river flows across the Salina 
shales which crop out on the Canadian side at various points 
between the bridge and Grand Island, at the head of Grand 
Island itself, and at Edgewater. With these exceptions the 
banks of the river are composed of reddish clay deposited 
from the glacial waters of Lake Warren. About a mile 
above the falls the Niagara limestone appears in the bed of 
the river which now descends for about a mile in rapids, and 
plunges over a precipice into the gorge below.* Near the 
top of the rapids the river is divided by Goat Island into two 
divisions, one of which forms the American and the other 
the Canadian or Horseshoe Falls. From the Cataract to 
Lewiston and Queenston the river flows through a gorge, 
the sides of which are formed of solid rock with similar 
strata cropping out at corresponding levels on both walls. 
In width the gorge ranges from 750 to 1700 feet, and its 
greatest depth from top to water's edge is a little over 300 
feet. The greatest measured depth of water, nearly op- 
posite the American Fall, is 189 feet, but it is believed that 
the whirlpool may exceed even that. 

With the exception of the Corniferous limestone at Buf- 
falo, all the rocks lying in the bed of the river or forming 

*The descent from Lake Erie to the rapids at Port Day is ten feet ; from 
Port Day to the edge of the American Fall forty-nine feet ; height of Ameri- 
can Fall 167 feet ; from American FaU to Lake Ontario 100 feet ; total 326 feet. 
The Canadian Fall is 158 feet high, and consequently the descent on the rapids 
above, a little more than on the American side. As the height of the fall is 
measured from the crest to the level of the water below, it may vary from 
four to twenty feet, depending upon low or high water. 

95 



96 
the sides of the gorge are stratified and of Silurian age. 
They dip gradually towards the south, the lower strata dis- 
appearing at the head of the river under the higher mem- 
bers. The cut on page 97 adapted from Hall shows the 
strata in their order of deposition. Photographs illustrat- 
ing details are also seen on pages 51 and 58. 



Medina 



Clinton 



Niagara 



Salina 



1. 



4. 

j5. 
(6. 

f7. 



9. 



10. 



Red shales and sandstones seen in the bank of 

the river at Lewiston and extending to Lake 

Ontario. 
Grey quartzose sandstone (White Medina). 
Red shales like No. 1, with thin courses of 

red and mottled sandstone (Red Medina 

Sandstone) near the top. 
A thin band of grey quartzose sandstone 

(Upper Grey Medina). 
A thin band of greenish shale (Clinton shale). 
Compact grey limestone (Clinton limestone). 
Soft argillo-calcareous shale (Niagara 

shale). 
Compact glodiferous limestone. 
Upper thin bedded limestone constituting 

with 8 the Niagara limestone. 
Onondaga or Salina group, including the 

hydraulic limestone or beds of passage to 

the next rock. 
Onondaga and Corniferous limestones, Drift 

and fluviatile deposits. 
aa, b, c, d, f, g, h, dotted line represents 

surface of the river from Lewiston to Lake 

Erie. 
d-f the perpendicular fall over the Niagara 

limestone and shale. 
f-g the rapids. 
c the whirlpool, 
k, i, n, position of falls and rapids after a 

recession of one mile, 
p, 0, m, position of falls and rapids after a 

recession of two miles. 



97 



''-^iv, 



'^^o 



rH 



V/}fi 



iKh 



Nlh 






III 



: hM^ 



III, 



'C/f 



''Or 



How^ the Gorge Was Made. 

The river falls over the hard Niagara limestone, beneath 
which is a stratum of soft calcareous shale. In its descent 
the lower part of the sheet acquires a greater velocity than 
the upper, and tends to separate from it, thus producing a. 
vacuum, and drawing in air after the manner of a Bunsen 
pump. When the water column strikes the base of the cliff, 
the included air is violently expelled and drives a portion of 
the water as spray outward into the air, and another portion 
inward, like a sand blast, against the cliff behind the fall. 
This jet partly by impact and partly by solution digs out the 
soft shales, undermining the limestone above, which being 
left without support, falls of its own weight and that of 
the water upon it. Frost and other atmospheric agencies 
cause rock to split off from the edges and fall into the 
gorge, slowly widening it and increasing the slope of the 
sides. Thus the brink of the cataract is moved up stream 
and the work of erosion begins anew. 

Under the American Fall the stream has not sufficient vol- 
ume to remove the fallen blocks of limestone, and they remain 
piled up at the base of the cliff, in a measure protecting it 
from erosion. At the Horseshoe over which, as has been 
said, nearly nine-tenths of the waters of the river plunge, 
the conditions are different. The cataract falls into a pool 
estimated to be from 175 to 200 feet deep. A part of the 
air carried down by the water is expelled at the surface of 
the pool, producing undercutting as previously described. 
A large part is also carried by the momentum of the falling 
water deep down below the surface, where it is compressed 
by the weight of the water above it and, expanding after- 
wards, forms great bubbles. (Page 40). It is believed that 
the blocks of limestone which fall from the cliff into the 
pool are whirled about on the bottom by powerful gyratory 
currents and thus excavate and deepen the gorge by the 
familiar process of ''pot holing." 

By such simple means geologists now believe the river has> 



99 
excavated its gorge a distance of six and one-half miles from 
Lewiston to the present site of the Horseshoe. (See History 
of Niagara River, G. K. Gilbert, Sixth Ann. Rept. Comrs. 
N. Y. State Reservation at Niagara 1890. ) 

Retrogression of the Falls. 

In 1842 Professor James Hall, State Geologist, made a 
trigonometrical survey of the Falls, marking the stations 
from which observations were taken with permanent monu- 
ments. Later surveys were made by others in 1875, 1886 
and 1890. State Engineer Bogart, who made the last sur- 
vey, estimates the mean retrogression for the 48 years 
intervening to be as follows : * 

American Fall, 7.68 inches per year. 

Horseshoe Fall, 26.16 inches per year. 

Total area of recession for the same time : 

American Fall, 7.55 acre (about | acre). 
1000 

Horseshoe Fall 6.32 acres. 

From 1886 to 1890 the average recession was : 

American Fall, 1.65 ft. 

Horseshoe Fall, 5.01 ft. 
From errors discovered in the original survey. Prof. G. 
K. Gilbert estimates the annual recession of the Horseshoe, 
from 1842 to 1875, to have been greater than stated above, 
probably as great as four to six feet. At the apex of the 
Horseshoe erosion is going on much more rapidly than else- 
where, the average recession between 1886 and 1890 being 
at the rate of about twenty feet per year. Large masses of 
rock become detached and fall into the abyss with a noise 
that can be heard at a distance of a mile or more, lengthen- 
ing the gorge by several times the average annual amount. 
The first recorded fall was in 1832. On Feburary 1, 1852, 
a section of the precipice extending from Goat Island 
to Terrapin Tower, 125 feet long by sixty feet wide, 
and extending to the bottom of the cliff, broke off and 

(*Report Comrs. N. Y. State Reservation at Niagara, 1891.) 

LofC. 



100 

fell with a terrific crash. A smaller fall occurred on 
the following day. In 1867 and again in 1884 large masses 
were detached with a concussion which was plainly felt in 
the neighborhood. The last great fall was in 1889, when 
an area of at least an acre disappeared from the heart of the 
Horseshoe. 

Thickness of Strata. 

In the vicinity of the Falls the Niagara limestone is about 
164 feet thick, only about eighty feet of which are in sight 
at the cataract. The underlying shales are from seventy 
to eighty feet thick. The Clinton limestone has an average 
thickness of twenty feet, with a stratum of green shale 
three to four feet thick beneath. At the Horseshoe Fall the 
Niagara limestone appears to exceed its usual thickness, and 
this may be due to a local lenticular mass in the formation 
or to the beginning of a more general thickening of this 
member. Numerous borings for gas in Erie County, N. Y. , 
south of Buffalo, show that the strata increase in thickness 
in that direction. The average thickness of the several di- 
visions in a large number of wells was : * 

Niagara limestone, .... 247 ft. 



Niagara shale, . . 
Clinton limestone. 
Red Medina sandstone, 
Quartzose sandstone. 



72 ft. 
27 ft. 
94 ft. 
15 ft. 



Evidence that the River Has Once Flowed at a Higher 

Level. 

Both banks of the river are terraced for some distance 
above the Falls and along the sides of the gorge below. 
Hall makes four of these within the limits of Prospect Park. 
At least three can be readily distinguished on the Canadian 
side opposite the Upper Steel Arch Bridge, and they are also 
seen in several places south of the Whirlpool. These are be- 
lieved to represent stages in the life of the river when it 

(*Bishop Geology of Erie Co. Kept. State Geologist, 1895. Page 390). 



101 
flowed at higher levels. The shells of fresh water mollusks, 
some species of which are now extinct, but the greater part 
of which are still living in the Niagara River, are found in 
great abundance in the gravel of these terraces from the 
highest down. They show that the several stages of the 
river indicated by the terraces are all recent, and that the 
river itself is comparatively young. Localities where these 
may be found are indicated on the accompanying maps. 
Geological History, 
At a comparatively recent epoch in geological times a 
great glacier or ice sheet formed in the region north of the 
St. Lawrence River, and moved southward across New Eng- 
land, the Middle States, and as far west as the Mississippi 
River. Before that time the valleys where the Great Lakes 
now are were drained by a complex river system, whose outlet 
was probably through the St. Lawrence valley. One branch 
of this river received the waters of the present Erie Basin 
and joined the main streani near the present western end of 
Lake Ontario, following approximately the route of the 
present Welland Canal. The ice-sheet, which is believed to 
have been from 1000 to 5000 feet thick, pushed its way 
southward, abrading the surface and filling up depressions 
With the debris thus formed, until it reached a region so 
warm that the daily melting equalled the advance of the ice. 
The earth and stones collected by the glacier in its progress 
were thus loosened and deposited along the edge of the ice 
as terminal moraines. South of Buffalo this limit was near 
Salamanca and Olean, but eastward it extended farther south, 
reaching the sea at the mouth of the Hudson River, and 
westward passing below the parallel of Cincinnati. After- 
wards the climate became much warmer, probably owing to 
a lowering of the continent, and the glacier retreated, halt- 
ing at times or even advancing for short distances, but on 
the whole slowly forsaking the ground which it had occu- 
pied. When the ice sheet had retrogressed until its edge 
was north of the rim of the lake basins the water from the 



102 
melting ice and snow and from rain gathered between the 
ice front and the divide, forming lakes. Each lake stood at 
the level of the lowest point on its rim, which became its out- 
let. At first the lakes were small, but as they expanded 
their boundaries new and lower outlets became uncovered, 
and the water dropped to lower and lower levels. If 
the lake stood at the same height for a considerable time, 
the action of the waves upon the shore made beaches like 
those found around our lakes today. One of these lakes. 
Lake Warren, extended over a large part of the Erie- 
Ontario Basin, making a well marked beach, which may be 
seen at Hamburg, Alden and Crittenden, near Buffalo. Dur- 
ing its earlier stages this lake drained into the Mississippi 
Valley at Fort Wayne, Ind., and later across lower Michigan, 
emptying at the present site of Chicago. In the deep valleys 
of the present great lakes the ice was thicker than elsewhere 
and staid longer. One ice lobe retreated in a northeasterly 
direction through the Erie-Ontario basin, while another took 
a more northerly course through the Lake Huron Valley. 
Still another arm of the glacier filled the Mohawk-Hudson 
Valley. At last the ice retreated from the Mohawk-Hudson 
Valley, making a lower outlet and allowing the waters to 
escape eastward to the sea through that channel. The sur- 
face of the water lowered to the base of the escarpment at 
Lewiston, a distance of more than 500 feet, laying bare 
much land that had been covered with water before, and 
forming a smaller lake in the Ontario basin, which has been 
named Lake Iroquois. The outlet of this was at Rome, N. 
Y., and through" this opening its waters were discharged for 
a long time. The Iroquois beach, upon which the Ridge Road 
is built, has been traced from Lewiston eastward to the Ad- 
irondacks on the American side, and from Queenston to* Belle- 
ville, Ont., on the Canadian side. Later when the ice had 
retreated still farther to the northeast, but when the lower 
St. Lawrence was blocked with ice, an opening was made be- 
tween the ice and the base of the Adirondacks, allowing the 



103 
water to escape around their eastward mountain slope. 
Later still the ice left the St. Lawrence Valley, and the 
waters of Lake Iroquois drained through the present channel 
of the St. Lawrence, which was then at a lower level than 
now, leaving Lake Ontario a smaller lake than at present. 

While the Erie-Ontario basins were being freed from ice 
another lobe of the glacier was also retreating through the 
valleys now occupied by Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. 
When the waters of Lake Warren fell below the escarpment 
at Lewiston, Lake Erie was formed, smaller than now, and 
independent of the lakes on the north which still poured their 
waters through the opening at Chicago. Lake Huron was 
at this time about half freed from ice. The continued ret- 
rogression of the glacier later uncovered other outlets at 
lower levels, by which the water escaped to the Ontario-St. 
Lawrence basin. The most important of these was by way 
of Lake Nipissing and the Ottawa River, through which 
route the waters of the upper lakes reached the sea for a 
long time. Afterwards all the country to the northeast of 
the lake region slowly rose, tilting the lake basins southwest- 
ward and causing the waters of the Upper Great Lakes to 
fall away from their northern outlet and spill over their 
lowest point, which happened to be on the southern rim at 
Port Huron. The waters of the Upper Lakes then added 
their volume to those of Lake Erie, and the drainage of the 
Great Lakes has remained practically what it is now ever 
since. 

During the advance and retreat of the ice sheet the old 
river valleys were filled in places by glacial drift and mo- 
raines obstructing drainage and retaining the waters as 
lakes. 

When the waters of Lake Warren first lowered below the 
escarpment at Lewiston, Niagara River had its birth. For 
a time the waters escaping from the shallow Lake Erie to 
Lake Iroquois flowed in a thin sheet across a nearly level 
plain, falling over the rim of the lower basin at four points 



104 
which were lower than the rest. These were located at 
Clarendon, Shelby, Gasport, Lockport and Lewiston. ''Most 
of these were of brief duration, but the one at Lockport con- 
tinued for a considerable period, competing with Niagara 
for establishment, as the permanent outlet of Lake Erie. 
At length, for some cause, not clearly understood, the Lew- 
iston outlet became the lowest and diverted the waters from 
the others. A cataract became established at the edge of 
the escarpment and gradually cut its way back to its present 
position." * 

The site of the Lockport Fall may be seen by tourists 
entering that city from the west via the New York Central 
Railroad, as a ravine on the left-hand side of the track just 
before entering the town. 

St. David's Channel. 

Extending northwestward from the whirlpool is an old 
gorge which opens out with a wide mouth at the escarpment, 
near St. Davids. At the whirlpool it is occupied in part 
by the ravine of Bowman's Creek, but for the rest of the 
way it is almost entirely filled with drift. Geologists be- 
lieve this to have been the bed of a stream of preglacial or 
interglacial age, antedating, perhaps by many thousand 
years, the Niagara which has carved out the present gorge 
above the whirlpool. The width and depth indicate that it 
was made by a stream very nearly as large as the Niagara 
of today, and the length shows that it could not have been 
long lived in a geological sense. For these reasons F. B. 
Taylor, an authority on glacial geology, believes it to have 
been formed during a temporary retreat of the ice sheet 
which afterwards advanced and covered this region again. 
Additional evidence of interglacial action is also found in 
the fact that the bed of the Niagara River, where it leaves 
Lake Erie, was smoothed by glacial action after having been 
cut out by the usual processes of river erosion. As the 
preglacial outlet of Lake Erie was by way of the present 

*(01d Tracks of Erian Drainage— C. K. Gilbert, BuH. Geol. Soc. of America. 
Vol. 8, 



105 
Welland Canal, the inference is very strong that the waters 
of the lakes discharged for a time by this route after the 
Welland route was closed, and that the outlet was afterwards 
filled by a moving glacial mass. 

Age of the Niagara Gorge. 

If the volume of water in the river had always been con- 
stant, estimating the age of the gorge would be easy and 
approximately accurate. The present recession of the Horse- 
shoe Fall is at the rate of four to six feet per year. If we 
divide the total length of the gorge in feet by the average 
of these figures, the result is a close approximation to the 
theoretical age under these conditions. But G. K. Gilbert, 
F. B. Taylor and others have shown that at different 
periods in the history of the river a part of the waters 
of the upper lakes have reached the ocean by other 
channels. Therefore the volume of the river has fluc- 
tuated, and the rate of recession has been sometimes much 
less than at present. Taylor thinks the cutting of the por- 
tion of the gorge between the Horseshoe Fall and the Can- 
tilever Bridge required from 5,000 to 10,000 years, and of 
the whirlpool rapids several times that amount. On this 
basis the time required to cut the whole gorge could hardly 
be less than 70,000 years, and might be twice that number, 
or even more. 

Dr. J. W. Spencer, working with different data, computes 
the river's age as 32,000 years, and Mr. Warren Upham 
thinks 7,000 years enough. While those most competent to 
judge of the matter believe that no estimate yet made has 
much value, the present trend of opinion is toward the longer 
rather than the shorter time. 

The Future of the Falls. 

Since the Niagara limestone forming the crest of the falls 
dips to the south, the exposed edge will necessarily wear 
away and become lower as the fall travels up stream. The 
result would necessarily be, if no other cause intervened to 



106 
prevent, that the limestone would ultimately drop to the 
level of the water in the lower gorge and the falls would dis- 
appear as such. In their place would be a series of rapids 
extending from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. But other agen- 
cies now at work tend to modify existing conditions. The 
region northeast of the Great Lakes is slowly rising and tilt- 
ing the lake basins in the opposite direction. G. K. Gilbert 
estimates the change of elevation now going on to be 5.04 
inches in 100 years for every 100 miles. If this tilting con- 
tinues the result must be that the waters of the lakes will 
rise on their southwestern edges and finally spill out at the 
lowest point. The place where this is likely to occur is at 
Chicago, where an artificial channel already connects Lake 
Michigan with the Illinois River.* 

The effect of the tilting will be to increase the volume of 
water now leaving by that outlet and to decrease the outflow 
by way of the Niagara. In 2500 years Mr. Gilbert thinks 
the discharge of Niagara will become intermittent, and in 
3500 years cease altogether. As the volume of water de- 
creases erosion of the falls will become less rapid, and the 
rate of retrogression will be diminished. Under the condi- 
tions which we have assumed the waters of the river will 
cease to flow before the Canadian Fall has receded two miles 
from its present position. Before this time the lower 
drainage on that side will have diverted the water from the 
American Fall, leaving it dry. 

Another factor tending to affect the duration of the falls 
is the diversion of water for power purposes. At present 
the amount in use or contracted for amounts to less than 
five per cent, of the estimated volume of the river. But as 
the demand for power increases, as it must, the supply of 
water will be drawn upon until the amount passing over the 
falls will be greatly lessened from this cause alone. For 
this reason also the retrogression of the falls will be 
retarded. Doubtless the diminished flow will be apparent 

*Earth movements in the Lake region. Washington, 1898. 



107 
from the use of water long before it is perceptible from 
tilting of the land. 

The Niagara Falls Power. 

The water flowing over Niagara Falls represents in its 
ability to do work between 6,000,000 and 7,000,000 horse 
power. For more than a hundred years the idea of utilizing 
a part of this enormous energy has occupied the minds of 
inventors, and various schemes, more or less impracticable, 
have from time to time been projected. To Mr. Thomas 
Evershed, an engineer well known from his wide experience 
in the canal service of the State, belongs the credit of the 
plan which, with minor changes, has finally become a reality. 

As the result of a conference with Mr. Evershed, several 
citizens of Niagara Falls obtained a charter from the Legis- 
lature in 1886, giving them the right to utilize a part of 
the water of the river for manufacturing purposes. But the 
installation of a power plant on so gigantic a scale required 
caution. Not only were engineering difficulties to be 
met and overcome, but the best means of transmitting the 
power obtained had to be carefully considered. In June, 
1890, an International Niagara Commission was established 
in London with power to offer $22,000 in prizes for the best 
plans for the purpose required. For turbines the designs 
of Faesch and Piccard of Geneva were selected, and three 
experimental wheels were built from their plans by the I. P. 
Morris Co. of Philadelphia. By the advice of the electrical 
engineer of the company, George Forbes of London, two- 
phase alternating current dynamos with revolving fields were 
adopted, and three trial dynamos were made and installed 
by the Westinghouse Co. of Pittsburg. Ground was broken 
for the tunnel October 4, 1890, and the work pushed ener- 
getically to its completion, which required about two years. 
The plan adopted for the generation of power is as follows : 
— About a mile above the falls a surface canal 250 feet 
wide, twelve feet deep and 1700 feet long extends inwardly 



108 
from the river. Parallel with this a wheelpit 424.7 feet 
long and 18.5 feet wide was dug to the depth of 178.5 feet. 

From the base of the wheelpit a tunnel 6890 feet long, eigh- 
teen feet ten inches wide, and twenty-one feet high runs under 
the town, opening nearly beneath the Upper Steel Arch Bridge. 
It is of horseshoe form, lined with brick throughout, and at 
the lower end plated on the bottom and sides for some dis- 
tance with steel. For the first 5000 feet from the portal the 
grade is .7 per cent; thence to the wheel pit .4 per cent. 

In the sides of the canal are openings guarded by gates. 
From these, steel penstocks seven and one-half feet in diam- 
eter descend to the water wheels below. These are inverted 
twin turbines, each of 5000 horse power, working under a head 
of 136 feet. The water is admitted between the turbines and 
is discharged outwardly at the rate of 430 cubic feet per 
second at full load into the tunnel which serves as a tail race. 
From the turbines a vertical shaft extends to the generator, 
142 feet above, and is connected directly to the hollow revolv- 
ing field which also serves the purpose of a flywheel for the 
turbine. The weight of the revolving parts of the generator, 
shaft and wheel is 150,000 pounds. When in operation this, 
great mass is supported by the upward thrust of the column 
of water in the penstock against the disc of the upper turbine 
wheel, and so revolves without friction on the bearings. Each 
dynamo runs at a speed of 250 revolutions per minute, and 
generates 5000 electrical horse power. The electricity 
comes from the generator as a two-phase alternating cur- 
rent of 800 Amperes in each phase, at 2200 volts pressure. 
For transmission to Buffalo it is ' 'stepped up" by static trans- 
formers from a 2200 volt two-phase to a 22000 volt three- 
phase current. Heavy copper and aluminum wires supported 
on poles convey the current to Bufltalo, where it is '' stepped 
down" in a static transformer to an alternating current 
ranging from 480 to 2000 volts, according to the needs of 
the consumer. For trolly purposes it is transformed to a 
480 volt current. This is used to run a rotary transformer 



109 

yielding a direct current of about 575 volts, suitable for 
propelling street cars. The most distant sub-station in 
Buffalo is 31.4 miles from the generators. The number of 
dynamos in the power house has been increased from three 
to ten, giving a total capacity of 50,000 horse power. 
Wheelpit and power house No. 2, essentially duplicates of 
the present wheelpit and power house, are now (1901) in pro- 
cess of construction on the east side of the inlet canal. 
When completed the new accession will contain eleven tur- 
bines, and the same number of dynamos, each of 5000 horse 
power. The Niagara Falls Power Co. expects then to develop 
a total of 100,000 electrical horse power, which, with the 
7200 hydraulic horse power furnished to its tenant, the In- 
ternational Paper Co., will use the entire capacity of the 
present canal and tunnel. Electrical power is now supplied 
to customers as follows : 

The Acheson Graphite Co 1,000 h. p. 

Buffalo, Tonawanda and Lockport cities . 15,000 '^ 

Canadian users 550 ' ' 

Union Carbide Co 12,000 '' 

The Carborundum Co 2,000 '^ 

Disposal Works and Echota Lights ... 75 " 

Buffalo and Niagara Falls Electric Light Co. 800 " 

Niagara Falls Water Works Co 40 " 

Flax Fiber Co. . 425 ^' 

Electrical Lead Reduction Co 500 " 

Mathieson Alkali Works 2,000 ^' 

McNaughton & McGuire 200 ^' 

Niagara Electro Chemical Co 700 '' 

Oldbury Electro Chemical Co 1,400 " 

Power House (heating, lighting, etc. ) . . 175 " 

Pittsburg Reduction Co 4,500 '' 

Roberts Chemical Co 500 '' 

Street Railway, local 1,000 " 

Shredded Wheat Co 2,500 " 

(Natural Food Co.) 

Total 45,365 '' 



no 
This Company is also furnishing the Pan-American Expo- 
sition about 5000 electric horse power in addition to the above. 

The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and 
Manufacturing Co. 

The other great enterprise to utilize the power of Niagara 
is very much older than the tunnel previously described. It 
has for its main feature a surface canal 4400 feet long, ex- 
tending from Port Day to the edge of the cliff near the Up- 
per Arch Bridge, where it expands into a forebay. From 
the forebay water is delivered by penstocks to the wheels 
which run the machinery or dynamos. The original canal 
was built in 1853-8 by Woodhull & Bryant, and was thirty 
feet wide and six feet deep at first. No use was made of it 
until 1870, when Charles B. Gaskill built a grist mill on the 
edge of the bank near the forebay. In 1877 the canal and 
accessories were purchased by Messrs. Jacob Schoellkopf 
and A. Chesbrough, of Buffalo, who organized the Niagara 
Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Co. The Company 
leased water privileges to various tenants and an important 
manufacturing colony grew up on the edge of the gorge. 
At first the motive power consisted of turbine wheels with 
vertical shafts set in pits or notches on the edge of the bank, 
and with a head of less than 100 feet. Later a shaft eighty 
feet deep was sunk connecting with a tunnel 200 feet long, 
to be used as a tail race. About 1500 horse power was 
generated by turbines placed in this pit and distributed by 
wire rope, or in other ways, to customers within a radius 
of 300 feet. 

In 1886 the Company secured title to a part of the sloping 
bank between their plant and the river so as to further use 
their water power. In 1892 The Cliff Paper Co. leased the 
water discharged from the Hydraulic Company's tunnel and 
built a pulp mill near the edge of the river at the foot of 
the bank. In the same year the Niagara Falls Hydraulic 
Power & Manufacturing Co. began the enlargement of their 
canal by widening and deepening it. The present depth of 



m^ 



HmIit^'** 



k. 




112 
fourteen feet, and width of 100 feet, give it a working 
capacity of at least 100, 000 horse power. To further utilize 
this, the company has built a power house at the foot of 
the bank near the pulp mill of the Cliff Paper Co. On the 
top of the bank is a forebay thirty by twenty-two feet, tak- 
ing water from the open canal. From this three penstocks, 
one of eight feet and the others of eleven feet diameter, 
built of flange steel, extend to the power house, whence a 
supply pipe thirteen feet in diameter extending horizontally 
delivers the water to the wheels. These penstocks are 360 
feet long and deliver water under a head of 210 feet. The 
turbines, fourteen in number, are mounted on horizontal 
axes, each wheel rigidly connected to two direct-current 
dynamos, capable of developing 560 to 1000 kilowatts each. 
The wheels have a capacity of 2000 to 3000 horse power 
each, and were built by James Leffel & Co. of Springfield, 
Ohio, and by the I. P. Morris Co. of Philadelphia. The 
power already in use or contracted for is as follows : — 

Electric Poxver. 

Contracted 
Product. Now Using. for 

Pittsburg Reductiou 

Co., Aluminum, 7,500 h. p. 4,000 li. p. 

National Electrolytic Chlorate of Pot- 

Oo., ash, 1,000 

Alloy Smelting Co , Ferro Chrome and 

other alloys, 200 

Acker Process Co , Caustic Soda and 
Bleaching Pow- 



der, 



3,200 



Buffalo and Niagara 
Falls Electric Light- 
ing Co., 


400 " 
125 " 


400 " 


Niagara Silver Co , Silverware, 


5,600 " 


Niagara Gorge Rail- 
way Co , 


600 " 




Lewiston & Queens- 






ton Frontier E. R'y, 


200 " 




Other small consum- 






ers aggregating, 


312 " 





13,537 



1,000 " 
200 " 




¥ 



r- ^ 






mm^^^Kli 



114 

Hydraulic Po^ver. 

Now Using. 

Cliff Paper Co 2,900 h. p. 

Niagara Wood Paper Go 250 " 

City Water Works 150 " 

Niagara Falls Milling Co 900 " 

Central Milling Co 1,000 " 

Pettibone Cataract Paper Co 1,600 " 

Cataract City Milling Co 400 " 

Total 7,200 " 

Po^ver in Use or Contracted For. 

Electric Power sold 13,537 h. p 

Hydraulic Power sold 7,200 " 

Mechanical Power from shaft sold . 360 ' ' 

Electric Power contracted for . . . 5,600 " 

Total 26,697 " 



References. 



The Queen Victoria, Niagara Falls Park. E. A. Meredith, 
Canadian Magazine, July, 1897. 

Eeports Comrs. State Reservation at Niagara, 1885-1897. 

Goat Island. Peter A. Porter, 1900. 

A Brief History of Old Fort Niagara, Peter A. Porter, 
Niagara Falls, 1896. 

Old Fort Niagara in History. Peter A. Porter. 

Champlain, not Cartier. Peter A. Porter, 1899. 

The Battle of Queenston Heights. J. Symons, Toronto, 
1859. 

Narrative of the Anti-Masonic Excitement in Western 
New York in 1826-9. H. Brown, Batavia, 1829. 

The Upper Canadian Rebellion. J. Charles Dent, Toronto, 
1885. 

Recent Earth Movement in the Great Lakes Region. G. K. 
Gilbert, Washington, 1898. 

Niagara Falls and Their History. G. K. Gilbert, Am. 
Book Co., New York, 1895. 

The Great Ice Dams of Lakes Maumee, Whittlesey and 
Warren. Frank B. Taylor, Fort Wayne, Ind., 1899, 

Origin of the Gorge of the Whirlpool Rapids at Niagara. 
Frank B. Taylor, Bull. Geol. Soc. of America, 1898. 

A New Guide to Niagara Falls and Vicinity. F. H. Sev- 
erance, Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago and New York, 1892. 

The Niagara Book. Underhill & Nichols, 1893. 

Cutler's Guide to Niagara Falls, fifth edition. 

The author also desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to 
Prof. A. F. Piper of the Buffalo Central High School, who 
has contributed from his intimate knowledge of Niagara 
much valuable material for this book. 

115 



Fishing. 



The principal fish caught with the hook in the Niagara 
Eiver are yellow perch, yellow pike (the pike perch), blue 
pike, white, rock, and black bass, and muskallonge. The 
best perch fishing begins about the middle of May and lasts 
till July. The fall run begins early in August and may con- 
tinue till the middle of October, although the earlier part of 
the period is considered the best. Blue pike bite vora- 
ciously for a few days early in May, and are likely to be caught 
afterwards in fishing for perch. Yellow pike are readily 
caught either with bait or by '* chugging, " from August 1 to 
September 15, although they may be taken in small numbers 
after May 1, especially with minnows. Black bass may 
be taken between June 16 and Dec. 31. White bass may be 
taken in May on the American side of the river, but are 
protected on the Canadian side until later. Muskallonge 
are sparingly caught in Buffalo harbor and around Grand 
Island about June 1, and in the latter region in August and 
September. Sturgeon are speared in the river below the 
Whirlpool in May. Eels are caught in great numbers below 
the Falls, where they sometimes crawl out among the wet 
stones in their endeavor to pass up the river. 

The best places for fishing in the lower river are at Lewis- 
ton or Queenston and at Youngstown. At Lewiston boats 
and bait can be obtained of the Browns, who have boat- 
houses above and below the steamboat landing. Boat and 
bait $1.00 per day, guide to row boat, $1.50 to $2.00 extra. 
Bargain with guide advised. At Queenston, opposite, 
boats and guide may be obtained at the steamboat wharf. 
At Youngstown bait and boats may be had by inquiry at the 
hotels mentioned (page 75). 

Above the Falls perch and rock bass fishing may be had 

116 



117 

at Schlosser's dock and at LaSalle. Boats may be had at 
the latter place near the trolley and railroad stations. The 
fish do not run as large here as at Lewiston, but the fisher- 
man is reasonably sure of a fair catch in the proper season. 
At Buffalo there is much fishing at the Ferry Street dock, 
but the fish are small and few. Yellow pike and blue pike 
are caught during August in the early evening on the break- 
water above Ferry Street. Obtain bait and tackle at 
Ferry dock or at "Dutch Bill's," foot of Porter Avenue. 
Chugging rigs and guides for deep river fishing also at the 
latter place, or at the boat-house at the pier. On the Cana- 
dian side at Fort Erie boats and tackle may be hired at the 
boat-house near the stone church in the lower part of the 

town. 

Duck Shooting. 

Duck hunting is good along the river in many places. 
Favorite spots for this sport are the upper reach of the 
Niagara where it leaves Lake Erie, in the vicinity of Grand 
Island, and between Grand Island and the head of the rapids. 
In the Autumn of 1900 ducks were quite numerous 
between the Upper Arch Bridge and the Falls. During the 
winter they frequent the open water above the rapids, where 
they are shot in large numbers. 



Index. 



PAGE 

Abbott, Francis 32 

Acetylene gas 78 

Air phenomena, Erosion.. 28, 98 

" " Geysers 40 

" " Waterfall breeze 44 

Aluminum 79 

Arthrophycus Harlani 70, 71 

Baggage transfer 12 

Banks 13 

Bazaars 13 

Beaches, ancient 72, 102 

Bicycles, repairs, customs 15 

Biddle Stairs 28 

Black Rock 90 

Blockhouse 75 

Blondln 93 

Bloody Run 69, 88 

Botany 26, 58 

Bowman's Creek 53, 64, 104 

Brachiopods 70, 71 

Bridges, fares, 15 

Bridge, lower Steel Arch. 15, 48, 65, 67 
' ' upper Steel Arch..l5, 35, 65, 67 

Cantilever 15, 48, 65, 67 

" International 77, 83 

New Suspension 16, 62, 63 

Bridge jumpers 93 

Brock, General Isaac 89 

Brock's Monument 59, 60, 89 

Brown, General 90, 91 

Buckhorn Island 84, 87 

Buffalo 76, 90 

Burnt Ship Bay 84, 87 

Burning Spring 45 

Caroline, burning of the 93 

Carriages 11, 12, 34 

Caryocrinus ornatus 70 

Castle, old French 75 

Cave of the Winds 28 

Cayuga Creek 85 

Cedar Island 44 

Champlain 85 

Chippewa, creek and village.... 46, 84 
battle of 46,90 



PAGE. 

Corals 70 

Crinoid heads.... 70, 71 

Customs ; 15 

De Nonville '. 86 

Depots, Buffalo 81 

" Niagara Falls 9 

De Yeaux College 53, 67 

Devil's Hole 64, 67, 68 

" Hole Glen 60 

" " Massacre 88 

" Rapids 64 

" Pulpit 64, 68, 69 

Drinking Water 23, 24, 30, 32, 57 

Drummond, General 92 

Drummondsville . 49 

Dufferin Islands 44 

Dynamos 108, 110, 112 

Earth movements 106 

Electric railways 12, 46, 67 

Gorge road 13, 47, 53 

Lewiston and Youngstown 

Frontier Railway 74 

Niagara Falls Park and River 

Railway 77, 84 

Niagara Falls, Wesley Park 

and Clifton Tramway 47 

International Traction Co 76 

Electro-chemical industries. 78, 79, 80 
Elevators, inclined.l4, 22, 23, 34, 50, 67 

" hydraulic 44 

Escarpment, Lewiston 102, 104 

Explorers, early 85, 86 

Express 13 

Falls, American 23, 27, 28, 36, 95, 

98, 99, 106 

" Luna 23, 28, 29 

•• Horseshoe 34, 39, 40, 41, 95, 

98, 99, 105 

" future of 105 

" retrogression of 99 

•' Yiew station 49 

Ferries 73, 83 

Fish's Creek 63 

Fishing 116 



PAGE. 

15 



7. 83 
90 



64 



riorists 

Fort de Portage 

" Erie 

" battle of 

" " siege of 

" Gray 

" George 76, 89 

" Little Niagara 80, 87, 88 

" Massassauga 76 

" Niagara 75, 86, 87, 88, 89, 92 

" Nonville 86 

" Porter 77, 81 

" Schlosser 88, 90 

Fossils 70, 71 

Foster's Flats 57, 64, 68 

Geology 26, 47, 50, 51, 55, 58, 69, 72 

Geological history 101, 115 

Ghent, treaty of 92 

Giant Rock , 64 

Glacial epoch, resiilts of ...55, 101, 104 

Goat Island.... 23, 24, 26 

Gorge, Niagara, how formed... 98 

history of 101 

" " age 105 

Grand Island 83, 87, 92 

Gravel pits 26, 32, 47,55, 72 

Green Island 24, 32, 34 

Griffon, The 78, 85, 86 

Hennepin, Father 40, 85, 86 

Hennepin's View 19, 23 

Hotels 10, 11, 63, 73, 75,76 

Hunting 117 

Hydraulic canal 81, 110 

Inspiration Point 38 

Itineraries : 

A. Prospect Park 23 

B. Around Goat Island........ 24 

C. To Cave of the Winds 28 

D. To Horseshoe Fall, Cana- 

dian side 34 

E. To Duff erin Islands 44 

F. To the Burning Spring... 45 

G. Duff erin Is. to Chippewa 46 
H. Upper to Lower Arch 

Bridge, Canadian side.. 47 
I. To Lundy's Lane and 

Loretto Convent 47 

J. To Whirlpool 50 

K. St. David's Gorge 55 

L. Whirlpool to Niagara 

Glen 57 

M. To Lewiston or Queens- 
ton 60 



PAGE. 

N. Lewiston to Niagara 

Falls by Gorge Route.. 63 
O. To Suspension Bridge and 

Devil's Hole 67 

P. Devil's Hole to Lewiston, 

geological 69 

Q. Lewiston to Youngstown, 

Toronto, etc 73 

Z. To Port Day 34 

Great Belt Line trip 77 

Buffalo to Niagara Falls by 
electric cars, steam cars 

and steamers 76, 83 

Jewelers 14 

Jewish colonization 78, 92 

Lake Iroquois 102, 103 

Lake Warren 103 

La Motte 85 

La Salle, explorer 85 

La Salle, village 117 

Lewiston 63, 73, 90, 100, 116 

Little Brother Island 32 

Loretto Convent 32, 49 

Luna Island 23 

Luna Fall 28, 28, 29 

Lundy's Lane 49 

Lundy's Lane, battle of 91 

Maid of theMist 23, 24 

Manchester 90 

Miller and Brundage 9, 10, 12, 67 

Model City 78 

Monastery 49 

Morgan incident 92 

Museums 14 

Navy Island 87, 93, 84 

Newark, burning of 90 

Newspapers 13, 14 

Niagara Falls, New York 9,10,11,12,13 
" Ontario...9, 11, 12, 16, 17 

" north 9, 10 

" south 9, 49 

" central 9,10,49 

Niagara-on-the-Lake 76 

" Glen 57 

" Gorge 98, 101, 105 

" University 60, 69 

" River, how formed 103 

North Tonawanda 78 

Observation Towers 22, 49 

Ongiara Park 64 

Opticians 14 

Park, Canadian side 16, 22 

" Prospect 16, 18. 20, 21, 22, 24, etc. 



PAGE. 

Park Superintendent 22, 38 

Penstocks 108, 110, 111, 112 

Periodicals 14 

Photographers 15 

Port Day 34 

Portage Road 86 

Post-office 13 

Pot holes 57, 98 

Power, electric, Canadian side 44 
" " American side 

78, SO, 82, 107, 114 

Power, electric, lists of con- 
sumers 109, 114 

Power, electric, tunnel 35, 107, 108 

Power, hydrauHc 36, 110, 111, 118 

" " lists of con- 
sumers 109, 114 

Power, hydraulic, canal 81, 110 

Queenston 60, 61, 62, 116 

Queenston Heights, battle of ...88, 89 
Railroads : 

Canadian Southern 10 

Erie 9, 83 

Grand Trunk 70 

Lehigh 83 

Michigan Central 10, 49, 76 

New York Central 9, 81, 82 

Wabash 9 

Rapids, American 22, 24, 25 

Buttery 67 

Canadian 32, 33 

Devil's Hole 64 

" Upper Devil's Hole 64 

Whirlpool 50, 52, 65, 66, 67 

References 115 

Reservation carriages 12 



PAGE. 

Restaurants 11, 68, 84 

Retrogression of the Falls 99 

Rope walking 93 

St. Catharines, Ont 13 

St. David's Channel 55, 64, 104 

Schlosser's Dock 78, 117 

Scott, General 89, 90, 91 

Shells 26, 32, 53, 101 

Shelters 22, 24, m 

Slater's Point 46, 83, 84 

Stationers 14 

Steamers : 

International Navigation 
Co 10, 46, 83 

Niagara Navigation Co 10, 74 

Stedman,John 24, 88 

Stores 14 

Strata, thickness of 100 

Stratigraphy 51, 58, 71; 95, 97 

Strawberry Island 83 

Street's Creek 90 

Table Rock 14, 40 

Telegraph 13 

Terraces 100 

Terrapin Rock 30, 31 

Terrapin Tower 30 

Theatre 13 

Three Sister Islands 32 

Toilet rooms 20, 24 

Toll gate 44 

Tonawanda 77 

Toronto 13, 74 

Trips 18, 22 

Whirlpool 53, 54, 64, 67, 68 

Wintergreen Flats 56, 57 

Youngstown 75, 90, 116 



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